Paint-marked cockies

We give birds in our study temporary paint-marks on their back using non-toxic dye. These can be dotted with a sponge on by our researchers without needing to catch birds, and last 2-4 months before fading away. The birds show no reaction to being painted, so it is a perfect, non-invasive way to follow individuals over a short period of time. 

You might see two types of colour-marks: "single colours", which denote a roost-group, and  "three colour combinations", which are individually unique, allowing to follow individual birds. These might be vertical (running down the back, first colour is the one nearest the neck), or horizontal (across the back, first colour is on the bird's left shoulder). 

If you see paint marked birds, we are very interested in hearing more from you! Observations with a gps point and photo allow us to learn more about the movements, social networks and home-range of our urban cockatoos. You can help us out by reporting paint-marked birds on BigCityBirds. Just make sure you include a photo of the mark, so we can identify the individual. 

If you'd like to have a go at recognising individuals, here is our naming system:

Red = R | Blue = B | Black (noir) = N |  | Brown (maroon) = M | Pink = P | Purple (violet) = V | Light blue (azure) = A | Orange = O | Green = G | Light Green (lime) = L 

Can you match the names "BNG", "MOV" and "GOG" to the correct birds in the photo?