REWARD BAND STUDY OF MALLARDS TO ESTIMATE BAND REPORTING RATES

Reward bands ($10) were placed on 2122 hatching-year mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and an additional 11,490 received conventional bands (controls) to estimate band reporting rates. An analysis of band recoveries indicated that the reporting rate was dependent primarily upon 3 factors: the distance banded birds were recovered from the banding site, band collecting activities of conservation agencies (usually near banding sites), and the intensity of banding effort in the region (frequency of banded birds in the population of the region). Reporting rates were uniformly depressed near the banding sites, but they showed an E-W cline at distances greater than 80 km from the banding sites. The reporting rate was highest in the W. Limited data on historical band reporting rates were compiled. Recommendations are given for adjusting band recoveries to account for the nonreporting of bands for 1957-73.