Following the Numbers

I'm always learning something new about the animals in our taxidermy collection! 

After passing by a Peregrine Falcon mount on display in the hall for a few years, I recently decided to check into the bird's history using a small metal band I noticed below their ankle. This anklet isn't for aesthetics--federal bird bands are used on wild birds by licensed banders in North America to store valuable scientific information. 

As I looked back into the Museum's catalog files, it didn't appear as if we had previously documented this history for the now-deceased falcon. So I used the inscribed code located on the band in the hopes of learning more about this bird's life.

Any citizen can retrieve banding information--or as I like to think of it, another part of the bird's life story--as long as they're able to retrieve the 8-9 digit number inscribed on the band. One can then visit www.reportband.gov, plug in the band number and some quick information about their encounter, and they'll receive a certificate with information about the bird's banding history. 

After I did just that for the falcon, I learned that he was banded while apparently still too young to fly--living in Muskego, WI, just outside of Milwaukee in 2013. He became part of the Museum's collection in 2014. Unfortunately, my greatest discovery was that he had a short life. Despite those regrettable circumstances, I remain grateful for the efforts of bird banders, which have allowed me to continue learning more about the lives of animals in our collection.