At Ceuta Bay every Snowy Plover is marked so that we can follow them over the breeding season and over their life time. We use a combination of three color and one metal band or adults and one color and one metal band for juveniles. Each metal band has a unique number, the personal ID of the plover stamped on it. Each adult wears a unique color ring combination. Currently we use seven colors: Dark Blue (B), Dark Green (G), Light Green (L), Red (R), Orange (O), White (W), Yellow (Y). All metal rings (M) start with 'CA' followed by a three or four digit number.

Color rings are read from left tibia to the right tarsus. Metal rings can be on any limb of the body, so correct reading is essential.

Chicks that hatch at Ceuta are banded with a uniquely numbered           
metal band and a single color band. Only if they are recaptured as       
adults do they receive a unique color band combination.                           
                                                                                                                                              
The male 'Light Green-Metal/ Orange-Yellow' (LM/OY) was
banded as a breeding adult in 2007. He returned to breed in
2009 and was last observed tending a family at Bahía de
Ceuta in June 2010.

If you observe any of our birds anywhere in the states of Sinaloa, Sonora or Nayarit please let us know.

In March 2011 one of our banded males was observed feeding more than 200 km South of Ceuta in Nayarit. In February 2016 a female banded in Ceuta was seen near Guadalajara more than 500 km South of where it was banded.

You can fill out this form or email Clemens Küpper (ckuepper (at) orn.mpg.de) directly.