Bird conservation

On a warm July morning, Will Krohn gingerly gripped a small pair of pliers in one hand and a newly hatched bird in the other. With the chick peeking its head out between two of Krohn's fingers, Krohn gently attached a tiny metal band to its right leg.

"It's like a social security number for a bird," said Krohn, a University of Delaware master's student studying wildlife ecology.

These purple martins were just a couple weeks old, hatched from manmade nest colonies at Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, Delaware.

Krohn equipped each hatchling with a metal band on one leg and two white plastic bands on the other. Alongside partners at the Delaware Nature Society, the Delaware Audubon Society, the Purple Martin Conservation Association, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Krohn will track where the purple martins go after hatching - called natal dispersal. The data will help his master's thesis.

Krohn's research is tackling a bird experiencing population decline, considered a species of conservation concern. It's not the only UD summer research investigating birds with conservation implications. Two other UD graduate students are studying grassland songbirds and northern saw-whet owls. The data could influence efforts to protect and manage these species.