Incidents of neckband icing and consequences for body condition and survival of pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus
Madsen, J., Kuijken, E., Kuijken-Verscheure, C., Hansen, F. & Cottaar, F. 2001: Incidents of neckband icing and consequences for body condition and survival of pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus. - Wildl. Biol. 7: 49-53.
During cold spells in Denmark and The Netherlands in January-February 1996, and in Belgium in January 1997, ice buildup on plastic neckbands on pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus was observed, affecting 15-31% of the marked geese in the areas. Ice started to form at effective temperatures of approximately -5ºC, but broke off after 1-6 days, despite temperatures remaining below the freezing point. During the subsequent months, there was no detectable difference in body condition, assessed by an abdominal profile index, of geese which had experienced no, light or heavy icing of neckbands, respectively. Furthermore, during the subsequent spring and autumn there was no significant difference in resighting rates of geese with and without neckband icing.
Key words: body condition, goose, mortality, neck collar, waterfowl
Jesper Madsen & Flemming Hansen, National Environmental Research Institute, Department of Coastal Zone Ecology, Kalø, Grenaavej 12, DK-8410 Rønde, Denmark - e-mail: jm@dmu.dk
Eckhart Kuijken & Christine Kuijken-Verscheure, Institute of Nature Conservation, Kliniekstraat 25, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
Fred Cottaar, Lutulistraat 42, NL-2037 CB Haarlem, The Netherlands
Received 4 May 2000, accepted 25 September 2000
Associate Editor: Hannu Pöysä