Bird band help?

Can anyone help with the band meanings? Why so freaken many? Id if the bird would be nice too. ; )

IMAGE LINK: http://peregrineflier.​smugmug.com …982129&k=FL4QFg​p&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: http://peregrineflier.​smugmug.com …978948&k=g6rLHL​c&lb=1&s=A

The bird is some type of Tern-I haven't learned to distinguished between the "models" yet. As for the banding-sorry.

Looks like the "common tern" breeding adult

Royal Tern. Multiple studies, multiple bands. These birds can live over 20 years.

Be a long ways from what royals call home they are more of a east and southeren cost bird...if tom was in his home state when he shot this is could also be a caspian tern which is more of a northern bird.

bfleck51 wrote in post #14626017
Be a long ways from what royals call home they are more of a east and southeren cost bird...if tom was in his home state when he shot this is could also be a caspian tern which is more of a northern bird.

Ut was in washington state. : )

I was struggling with the Caspian and Royal but after seeing Tom's location down in his signature, Caspian would be correct. The dark primaries certainly reinforce Caspian.

Nighthound wrote in post #14626042
I was struggling with the Caspian and Royal but after seeing Tom's location down in his signature, Caspian would be correct. The dark primaries certainly reinforce Caspian.

Wasnt ment to correct ya steve... Iam far from a bird expert but Iam tring to learn diving into my field guides and reading on birds I see posted on the forum...plus...some times I make a lucky guess,lol

Here is an interesting read from the US Geological Survey regarding Axillary Bird Markers: http://www.pwrc.usgs.g​ov/bbl/homepage/abouta​ux.cfm

Diamond Lil wrote in post #14626077
Here is an interesting read from the US Geological Survey regarding Axillary Bird Markers: http://www.pwrc.usgs.g​ov/bbl/homepage/abouta​ux.cfm

Nice find lil....very interesting....book marked that one for future use!

Yeah, those banders are quite aggressive when it comes to their "help". What is the point of so many, if they snare/trap/frighten/ma​ke our side of birding harder, why can't they make a note of an old band, remove it and put only one band on any bird? I probably opened a Hornets nest here, don't mean to hijack your post Tom, but that is just ridiculous. I could go on forever but it will bring only more nasty comments about my intelligence, lol
Great shot of this Tern as they are very fast, Well done.

Caspian Terns are declining and in trouble and when you see bands like this it's so the bird can be easily recognized through a scope, binoculars or a photograph without recapturing. Believe it or not, they do try to minimize the stress on the bird.

Have to agree with Chubri777, the bird has only been captured once. the color pattern on the set of bands is it's ID. So it would be listed as yellow over green right leg, blue over orange over pink on the left leg. the color combinations are almost endless. When the bird is seen through a spotting scope the bird can be ID'ed and location can be noted along with date and time.