Birds of Project PROTHO

The old-growth, bald cypress-tupelo swamp at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest contains some of the highest densities of breeding Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) in South Carolina.

Project PROTHO was an effort to learn more about the breeding biology of these warblers within our unique ecosystem and to support our conservation efforts, we captured and banded a number of birds.  You can read more in previous blog entries.  Each Prothonotary Warbler has a unique color-band combination that allows the identification of individual birds.

A257 with prey - Mark Musselman

Banding Color Scheme

COLOR	NUMBER
Purple/white	0
Red/white	1
Pink	2
Light Green	3
Yellow	4
Red	5
Light Blue	6
Black	7
Orange	8
Dark Blue	9
Aluminum	A

Bands are read from lower left to upper left to upper right to lower right.

Although we no longer have a permitted bird bander at the center, sightings of color-banded birds continue to provide valuable data on site fidelity, territory size, daily and seasonal movements, and nest success rates. Your recorded data (ask for a data sheet) will add to the scientific knowledge about these birds.

If you have seen or photographed banded Prothonotary Warblers and are interested in the details we have obtained regarding their bandings, territories and nesting attempts, you can use the links on the Project PROTHO page to navigate to each bird's page.

We are in the process of building the pages, so let us know if your bird is not yet shown and we will give that bird priority treatment!.