I looked at the pink chicks in the nest, mother and father eating the freshly placed eggfood as if it weren't going to last. Those babies represented the culmination of my bird breeding dreams - penguin zebra finches. Not hard for some to raise, but my first zebra finch chicks of the year, and they were my penguins. I wrote the hatch date on the calendar and made a note to band the chicks ten days later. A bird band, usually placed on the leg when the chick is still in the nest, identifies the bird to its owner and to anyone else.
Bands come in three forms.
The closed band is placed on the chick when it is about 10 days old and contains the birth year and a sequence of numbers identifying the bird. Many bird clubs, such as the National Finch and Softbill Society and the Society for Parrot Breeders and Exhibitors issue closed bands to their members. These bands are traceable and easily identifiable. An open band is closed around the bird's leg after it has left the nest and usually contains the year and other identifying information. Open plastic bands can also be placed on the birds.