RVRI has been applying vinyl wing-tag (blue with white numbers) on Golden Eagles since 2004. This provides us with important re-encounter information on individual eagles that we cannot get from standard (USGS) bands alone. Wing- tags yield about a 23% encounter rate compared to <10% of eagles with USGS bands. We also apply two to three digit alphanumeric color bands on Bald Eagles and Ospreys, both of which are blue with white numbers/letters.

Mapping out wing-tag and color band encounters helps define migration routes, seasonal ranges, and how long these eagles and Ospreys live. This project relies on Citizen Scientists who report these sighting and we are grateful for all the people who make this project possible.