Publikationen

Naef-Daenzer, B. (2007)

An allometric function to fit leg-loop harnesses to terrestrial birds.

Further information

J. Avian Biol. 38 (3): 404–407

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Abstract

Harnesses are indispensable for a long-term attachment of instruments to animals, particularly birds. The exact fit is crucial for both the reliability of the tags and the animals´ health and natural behaviour. Using data from 19 bird species ranging from 8-400 g, I present an allometric function to calculate the dimension of leg-loop harnesses for birds on the basis of body mass data. The model greatly facilitates determining the correct loop span for new species without time-consuming experiments. More importantly, the equation permits calculation of the excess span that is required for tagging juvenile, still growing birds.