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Leg bands forced on birds are often painted with a picture of being beneficial. Owners of pets that have flown away or have been stolen stand a greater chance of being returned home. Researchers, scientists and organizations like the US Fish and Wildlife use them to survey wild birds for migratory patterns, predatory loss, eating habits, and nesting spots.

While beneficial pictures are painted as serene there is a darker picture that unmasks from time to time. Birds in captivity and in the wild that have a leg band can suffer from crippling injuries or death.

Baby birds bred in captivity that receive a closed leg band in the week to two weeks following their birth are too small and fragile to remove the band on their maintain. As they grow and the band size shrinks making it impossible for the bird to get off the baby will struggle to balance the weight of the band on the one leg with the other band-free leg.

The leg band won’t give. It is sturdy and solid although it is mixed with some relatively lightweight metals such as aluminum. The baby will fall and have problems walking or jumping until its leg builds up enough strength to support it. There is always a chance the baby will sprain or demolish its leg. Wild-banded baby birds will have to go through the same adjustment phase.

There are people who consider leg bands to be just like wearing jewelry. What happens when jewelry is worn? Skin underneath a portion of jewelry will sweat, think of rings and wide cessation fitting bracelets. There are pieces of jewelry that are plain melancholy to wear and easily come by tangled up in hair or clothes, think of earrings and prongs on bracelets or rings. Jewelry can scratch or rub on skin causing cuts, redness and swelling.

Unprejudiced as jewelry, leg bands will make a bird’s leg sweat and because the band isn’t flexible it can repeatedly dig into the leg and cause painful cuts. Repeated rubbing against the leg can obtain it swell. The band can secure caught on things and leave the bird struggling to get free.

When a band gets hung on something the bird can have a heart attack. Simply being hung and struggling to get loose can scare it to death. The struggling can cause the bird to cut, break or sprain its leg if it manages to smash free. A pet bird can gain caught on a play toy, feeding dish, chain or string. A wild bird wearing a leg band that gets hung perhaps on a branch, vine, fence or maybe a share of string can wound up being prey to a predator as they hopelessly try to break free.

There will always be the possibility of an injury to the bird as long as it is wearing the leg band. From cuts to swelling, breaks and sprains, heart attacks or to being a predators prey leg bands come with risks that can have devastating consequences to the bird.

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