Trapping wild birds requires careful planning, proper equipment, and a lot of patience. While it may seem straightforward, there are important legal and ethical considerations when capturing wild birds. It’s crucial to have a clear purpose that justifies the trapping, such as banding birds for research or removing invasive species. Responsible trapping minimizes risks to the birds. With proper precautions, wild birds can be humanely trapped, handled, and released.
Why Would You Trap a Wild Bird?
There are a few common reasons someone may need to trap a wild bird:
- Banding for research – Capturing wild birds to attach leg bands for tracking migration patterns and survival rates.
- Relocation of nuisance animals – Removing problematic birds from areas where they cause damage or become overpopulated.
- Rehabilitation of injured birds – Capturing sick or injured birds to provide medical treatment before releasing them.
- Public health reasons – Trapping birds like pigeons or wild waterfowl that may spread diseases in populated areas.
- Re-introduction programs – Catching birds for supervised release into restored habitats.
Outside of these specific purposes, trapping most wild birds is illegal and unethical. It’s important to consult local wildlife authorities and obtain any required permits before trapping birds.
Choosing a Safe Trap
The trap you use depends on the type of bird you want to catch. Consider the bird’s size, behavior, and habitat. Common types of live bird traps include:
- Mist nets – Fine mesh nets strung between poles, used to gently catch birds in flight.
- Cage traps – Cages with a trigger door mechanism, well-suited for ground birds.
- Walk-in traps – Tunnel or box-shaped traps that birds enter and cannot easily exit.
- Net guns – Launcher that shoots a weighted open net to capture birds in flight or high in trees.
- Bow nets – A net that quickly pulls tight around birds lured to bait on the ground.
Avoid small hive traps, snares, glue boards, or other devices that could harm or cause undue stress to birds. Only use traps designed specifically for live capture of wild birds.
Choosing the Right Bait
Baiting traps with tempting foods can entice target birds to enter. Some bait ideas include:
- Seeds and grains like millet, cracked corn, and oats for seed-eating birds.
- Fruits like berries and grapes for fruit-eating birds.
- Mealworms and other grubs for insect-eating birds.
- Suet, bacon grease, peanut butter for birds that eat meat sources.
- Nuts, sunflower seeds, and pine nuts for woodpeckers and nuthatches.
Place bait either inside the trap or in a leading trail toward the trap opening. Change bait frequently to prevent it from getting stale. Consider the bird’s natural diet and foods they seek out when choosing bait.
Selecting a Trap Site
Location is critical when trapping wild birds. Consider these factors when selecting a good trap site:
- Place near areas birds naturally congregate, like feeders or birdbaths.
- Set traps where birds are already accustomed to finding food.
- Avoid areas with too much human activity that could deter birds.
- Select sites with cover to make birds feel secure while entering traps.
- Consider weather conditions that could affect trap success.
Set traps in the early morning when birds are most actively searching for food. Avoid extremely windy, rainy, or hot conditions. Face trap openings toward natural cover like shrubs or tree branches.
Bird Handling Basics
Once a wild bird is trapped, proper handling minimizes stress and injury when removing it from the trap:
- Approach the trap slowly and quietly to avoid scaring the bird inside.
- Carefully cover the trap with a light cloth to calmly block the bird’s vision.
- Transfer the bird from the trap to a breathable cloth holding bag.
- Make sure to restrain the wings gently but securely.
- Keep handling time as brief as possible before release or transport.
- Wear thick leather gloves when handling larger birds of prey.
Never grab birds by the legs or squeeze their bodies. Handle with a gentle but firm grip around the body, taking care around delicate bones. Have all measuring equipment and bands ready before traps are opened.
Weighing and Measuring
To take key measurements, follow these best practices:
- Use a cloth bag with a drawstring top hung from a scale to safely weigh birds.
- To measure wings, gently flatten one wing against a ruler minus the downy feathers.
- For tail length, extend the tail fully and measure from the base to the tip of the longest feather.
- Leg thickness can be measured gently using calipers, but avoid leg bands that are too tight.
- Carefully use calipers to measure culmen, head, and bill length.
Record measurements quickly and accurately. Minimize restraint time by having one person carefully hold the bird while another takes measurements. Use the correct bird bands sized to allow normal leg movement.
Releasing Birds
When trapping birds for banding or transport, their safe release is a top priority:
- Let birds rest and recover from handling in a quiet, darkened cage before release.
- Provide water and consider offering food if birds appear overly stressed.
- When possible, release birds near the original trapping location once recovered.
- Open release cages remotely or use specially designed doors to minimize human contact.
- Avoid freeing birds at times of day with high predator risk such as midday.
- Do not release birds during extreme weather like severe cold, wind, rain or heat.
Monitor released birds visually to ensure they are flying and behaving normally. Never release rehabilitated birds before their health is fully recovered. Follow best practices for humane handling from trapping through release.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Various laws regulate trapping wild birds. It’s important to be informed on rules including:
- Permits – Special permits are required from wildlife agencies to trap and band most bird species.
- Endangered species – Extra restrictions apply for trapping threatened or endangered birds.
- Non-native species – Many non-native birds are illegal to trap and release.
- Baiting laws – Some areas prohibit baiting traps with foods like grain or live insects.
- Release requirements – Rules often specify minimum distances for releasing trapped wildlife.
- Reporting – Agencies may require submission of records on trapping activities.
- Humane treatment – Methods must not cause unnecessary suffering according to animal welfare laws.
Beyond legal issues, responsible trapping means focusing on the birds’ well-being. Causing distress or high mortality undermines conservation. Consider the necessity of trapping and use the most humane methods possible.
Mist Net Trapping Steps
Mist nets are commonly used to safely trap wild songbirds for banding research. Follow these careful steps when using mist nets:
- Obtain required state, local, and federal permits for trapping songbirds.
- Select sites where birds naturally fly at around chest height into foliage.
- Set up “mist nets” made of fine mesh hung in tension between two poles.
- Check nets every 10-15 minutes so any birds caught can be quickly removed.
- Gently remove birds by hand through net openings to avoid injury.
- Transfer birds to cloth holding bags for transport to banding station.
- Have at least two trained people to carefully extract birds from nets.
- Close nets when not actively tended and during harsh weather.
- Follow ethical protocols for wildlife handling and data collection.
- Promptly release banded birds at their capture site once recovered.
Proper use of mist nets allows for temporary capture of wild songbirds with minimal disruption or harm. Trapping should only be done by experienced personnel trained in bird handling techniques.
Baiting Funnel Cage Trap
Funnel traps can be very effective for catching ground feeders and waterfowl. Use these steps for proper baiting and operation:
- Select an appropriate site along the bird’s natural paths and feeding areas.
- Carefully set up the funnel trap on flat, stable ground with openings flush to the surface.
- Scatter bait like seeds or corn leading up to and within the trap interior.
- Check traps frequently – at least every 20-30 minutes.
- Approach carefully and cover the trap before opening to remove birds calmly.
- Transport birds in breathable bags to avoid injury from flapping wings.
- To release, open bag away from face and provide cover for bird to escape under.
- Fold up funnel traps when not in use to prevent unintended catches.
- Maintain bait to keep it appealing, checking at least daily.
- Move traps around occasionally as birds become wary of overused sites.
With proper precautions, funnel traps allow live capture of ground-feeding birds lured by bait into the cage mechanism.
Concluding Thoughts
Trapping wild birds should never be undertaken lightly. While at times necessary for research and management, capture carries inherent risks. The well-being of birds must take priority over data collection. By following best practices, wild birds can often be trapped and released unharmed. However, restraint is advised – some species are highly sensitive to trapping stress. Ultimately, the decision to trap birds should weigh ethical and legal obligations against conservation benefits.