BirdTagger automates putting rings on wild birds
StartupRealities No 47
BirdTagger is a producer of automated bird ringing equipment installed on bird feeders. The bird-tagger fastens a band or ring around a bird's leg while it is feeding or resting at a feeder, without the need for catching the wild bird. The company participates in large-scale scientific studies and some military research projects.
TECHNOLOGY
BirdTagger uses sets of dozens of tension springs installed on the rim of a bird feeder on which birds step while feeding. The activation mechanism resembles that of a mouse trap: the weight of the bird's leg on the rim releases a single spring, which wraps around the bird's leg and clasps tightly on both ends to form a sealed ring or band. The spring-based ring contains an RFID tag that responds to signals from transponders on the ground. The rim mechanism can sense when a bird already has an RFID ring installed and does not release a new spring on birds that have already been banded. The metal spring in the band is covered in plastic insulation to protect the bird's leg from exposure during cold winters.
SCIENCE
BirdTagger is a research partner in a number of public scientific studies on the ecology, habits and migration patterns of birds. Potential military applications being studied include the possibility of driving flocking behaviour among different species of birds via weak electrical signals.
CEO QUOTE
"Imagine having millions of eyes in the sky! This is what millions of ringed bird can do for science and research," said company founder and CEO Bruno Tagore.
BirdTagger is a producer of automated bird ringing equipment installed on bird feeders. The bird-tagger fastens a band or ring around a bird's leg while it is feeding or resting at a feeder, without the need for catching the wild bird. The company participates in large-scale scientific studies and some military research projects.
TECHNOLOGY
BirdTagger uses sets of dozens of tension springs installed on the rim of a bird feeder on which birds step while feeding. The activation mechanism resembles that of a mouse trap: the weight of the bird's leg on the rim releases a single spring, which wraps around the bird's leg and clasps tightly on both ends to form a sealed ring or band. The spring-based ring contains an RFID tag that responds to signals from transponders on the ground. The rim mechanism can sense when a bird already has an RFID ring installed and does not release a new spring on birds that have already been banded. The metal spring in the band is covered in plastic insulation to protect the bird's leg from exposure during cold winters.
SCIENCE
BirdTagger is a research partner in a number of public scientific studies on the ecology, habits and migration patterns of birds. Potential military applications being studied include the possibility of driving flocking behaviour among different species of birds via weak electrical signals.
CEO QUOTE
"Imagine having millions of eyes in the sky! This is what millions of ringed bird can do for science and research," said company founder and CEO Bruno Tagore.
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| Ringed bird (Source: Wikipedia) |

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