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The records of banded birds are also yielding other pertinent information relative to their migrations such as arrival and departure dates, the length of time different birds pause on their migratory journeys to feed and rest, the relation between weather conditions and starting times for migration, the rates of travel for individual birds, the degree of regularity with which individual birds return to the summer or winter quarters used in former years, and many other details. Many banding stations are operated systematically throughout the year and supply much information concerning the movements of migratory birds that heretofore could only be surmised. The most informative banding studies are those where particular populations of birds are purposely banded to produce certain types of information when they are recovered. Examples of such planned banding are the extensive marking of specific populations of ducks and geese on their breeding grounds by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, as well as in "Operation Recovery," the cooperative program of banding small landbirds along the Atlantic Coast (Baird et al. 1958). When these banded birds are recovered, information concerning movements of specific populations or the vulnerability to hunting is gained. Colored leg bands, neck collars, or streamers can be used to identify populations or specific individuals, and birds marked with easily observed tags can be studied without having to kill or recapture individuals, thus making it a particularly useful technique.

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