page_title: Mist net
section_title: Disadvantages
hierarchical_section_title: Mist net / Disadvantages
caption_attribution_description: English: A female Brown-headed Cowbird trapped in a mistnet. The bird is being removed from the net. This picture was taken during research at Iverson's Woods with Earlham College.
context_page_description: Mist nets are used by ornithologists and bat biologists to capture wild birds and bats for banding or other research projects. Mist nets are typically made of nylon or polyester mesh suspended between two poles, resembling a volleyball net. When properly deployed in the correct habitat, the nets are virtually invisible. Mist nets have shelves created by horizontally strung lines that create a loose, baggy pocket. When a bird or bat hits the net, it falls into this pocket, where it becomes tangled.
  The mesh size of the netting varies according to the size of the species targeted for capture. Mesh sizes can be measured along one side of the edge of a single mesh square, or along the diagonal of that square. Measures given here are along the diagonal. Small passerines are typically captured with 30–38 mm mesh, while larger birds, like hawks and ducks, are captured using mesh sizes of ~127 mm. Net dimensions can vary widely depending on the proposed use. Net height for avian mist netting is typically 1.2 - 2.6 m. Net width may vary from 3 to 18 m, although longer nets may also be used. A dho-gaza is a type of mist net that can be used for larger birds, such as raptors.
context_section_description: There are several disadvantages to using mist nets. Mist-netting is very time-consuming. Nets have to be set up properly without mistakes. An animal caught in a mist net becomes entangled, so the net must be checked often and the animal removed promptly. Disentangling an animal from a mist net can be difficult and must be done carefully by trained personnel. If an animal is heavily tangled the mist net may need to be cut to avoid injuring the animal, which damages the net as well. Also, mist nets will not capture birds in direct proportion to their presence in the area (Remsen and Good 1996) and can miss a species completely if it is active in a different strata of vegetation, such as high in the canopy. They however can provide an index to population size.
  People using mist nets must be careful and well trained since there is a possibility that the birds caught in the net can become harmed in the process. One study found the average rate of injury for birds in mist nets is lower than any other method of studying vertebrates, between 0 and 0.59% while the average mortality rate is between 0 and 0.23% (Spotswood et al. 2011).  While rare, it has been suggested without scientific studies that larger birds may be more prone to leg injuries and internal bleeding. If smaller birds have problems it is with tangling issues and wing injuries. Factors that affect the injury and mortality rate are human error while handling the species, time of year caught, time of day caught, predators in the area, and size/material of the mist net.
caption: A female brown-headed cowbird being removed from a mist net.
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