Hundreds of colored rings

At first glance it seems to be a game with many colorful plastic items. A closer look reveals that it is about preparation for this year’s crane ringing. The plastic rings with a diameter of 19 or 21 mm are available in seven different colors. They are sorted by color, counted and packed in bags.

Not only ringing teams in Germany are provided with the colored plastic rings by the NABU crane center: Parcels are also sent to Israel, Sweden, Kenya, Russia, Estonia and even the USA. This way it is possible to support the international protection including most of the 15 crane species worldwide.

Color marking generates valuable information on migration routes, breeding behavior and life expectancy. For detailed information about the ringing system click here.