Hi All,

 

I'm sure there are a lot of new folks on the listserv who have seen some of the different ways in which other birders list the birds they've seen and the locations they've visited, and it can sometimes get a bit confusing when short-hand methods are used.

 

When you see four-letter codes the letters are the short-hand method that bird banders use to list the birds they are banding.  These four-letter codes have been standardized by the U.S. Geological Survey, which administers data collection and licensure of bird banders in the United States.  The standardization helps banders everywhere know which species is which when they read the codes.

 

Typically the codes are composed of the first two letters of the first name of a bird and the first two letters of the second name of a bird.  So for example Blue Jay would be coded as BLJA.  

 

In cases where a species might have a three-part common name the code would be composed of the first two letters of the first and second name and the first letters of the third names.  So a Black-capped Chickadee would be listed as BCCH.

 

The rules I’ve listed above are sort of generalized, and there are exceptions to these rules.  For example, we might expect Carolina Wren to be listed at CAWR, but it’s actually listed as CARW; CAR being the first three letters of Carolina and W being the first letter in Wren.  Cactus Wren is listed at CACW.

 

If you are not familiar with these codes and would like to learn them there is a valuable resource made available on-line through the USGS website.  You can find a list of codes at this site: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/manual/sname.htm and this site:

http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/manual/gallaou.htm

 

I hope this proves helpful,

 

 

Casey Tucker

 

 

 


 

 
                                          
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