Tools

provided as a courtesy of the

hummer/bird banding research collaborative

Bird Banding Pliers

Information & Reviews

Updated January 2011

The contributions on this page are shared voluntarily by banders and plier makers and are not intended to reflect a bias toward any one plier brand by this webpage developer .

Money is tight!!! This page is strictly for the benefit of the banding community who wish to spend it wisely.

Constructive contributions based on facts and experience are welcomed and encouraged from the plier makers, banders, and interested individuals.

Negative contributions based on opinions and hearsay are not welcomed

Dialogue is the best means to developing great quality. All makes and models may ultimately be equally as reliable. You be the judge! At least there are some options!

As reviews from banders and plier makers are contributed, they will be added promptly.

e-mail your constructive contributions to: input

Ever wonder what we did before MacDonald pliers? Click here!

Roger MacDonald set a standard that has not been matched to-date! As early as 1961, with some adjustments along the way based heavily
on bander feedback, MacDonald created banding pliers to our satisfaction!

Below are four U.S. made pliers. What more could you ask for ... made in the USA!
Try them, provide feedback to the manufacturers, and share your "pros & cons" with this webpage.

If you feel any of the information below is in error, please contact input with supporting evidence to verify the error so that we can correct the information promptly. Thanks!

STAUFFER PLIERS FOWLER PLIERS MICHIGAN PLIERS AFO PLIERS

	STAUFFER	FOWLER	MICHIGAN	AFO
SOLD BY/LINK	Stauffer/Henley	Tom Fowler	Avinet	AFO
NUMBER OF PLYERS: SIZE 0A-1A	Various combinations	2 plyers needed	1 plyer	1 plyer - SIZE 0A-2
NUMBER OF PLYERS: SIZE 2-3	offered. Check website for details.	2 plyers needed	1 plyer	1 plyer 3-4
NUMBER OF PLYERS: SIZE 3B-4	"	2 plyers needed	1 plyer	N/A
NUMBER OF PLYERS: SIZE 4-6	N/A	1 per band size	N/A	N/A
NUMBER OF PLYERS: SIZE 7	N/A	1	N/A	N/A
BANDS STICK TO PLYERS	Yes: Size X and 4 but will adjust if needed	unknown	Yes: Size 1B, 1A and 4	Yes: Size 1B and 4
HOLES OVALED	"Yes" per manuf. No on Size X & 4	"Yes" per manuf.	NO	NO
CUSTOMER ISSUES INPUT ENCOURAGED/WELCOMED	YES	YES	NO	NO
TEETH ON JAWS	Some yes, most no	YES - Will remove if requested	YES	NO
MADE BY A BIRD BANDER	YES	NO - Cornel Lab of Ornithology Engineer/Retired	UNKNOWN	UNKNOWN
PRICE	$60-70	$65	$75-$105	$45-$49
STAINLESS STEEL AVAILABLE	YES - Smaller plyers only
MACHINED PINS	YES	YES	YES	NO
REFURBISH/re-pin OLD PLYERS	YES - $25	YES	NO	NO

SIZE RANGE	X-4	0A - 7	0A - 4	0A - 4
USER INPUT SUBMITTED	YES	NO	YES	YES
DELIVERY TIME	Upon ordering	Month - (made to order)	Upon ordering	Upon Ordering
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE	YES	YES	YES	YES
PIN GUARANTEED	YES	YES	NO	NO
PIN REPLACEMENT			$35
PRO'S	Maker will work with customer to customize hole size for special circumstances/issues	Maker will work with customer to resolve issues with band sizes	Works well opening/closing most bands. "Feels" good in-hand.	Will make recommendations to manufacturer of plyer issues.
CON'S	Some plyers have teeth on jaws. Handles/grips bulky.	Teeth on Jaws. Month to deliver. Only two sizes of bands per plyers.	Expensive. Teeth on Jaws. Size 1B and 4 bands stick in plyers. Holes not ovaled. Pin on small plyers too thick. Cannot open 0A bands. Large hole on small plyers too small. Sticks to 1B&1A bands. Maker unwilling to accept feedback/input regarding issues. Attributes improper bander technique to plyer issues.	Pin on small plyers break easily. Size 4 bands do not fit in plyers. 3, 3B, 3A bands stick to plyers.
COMPARISON TO PRE-2000 MacDonald made plyers	Holes not as ovaled	No user input submitted	Small Plyers: pin .16mm thicker at tip. Large hole .32mm smaller in diameter. Hole not as ovaled.	"Feels" the same in hand. Same size. No teeth on jaws.

Hummingbird Banding Pliers

Lee Rogers currently makes hummingbird pliers and hummingbird band making kits.

Send your request via e-mail directly to Lee.

Lee Rogers

NON-	US Made Pliers (w/out opening pin)
"UK PLIERS" are sold via two different suppliers. These pliers do not have a pin to open the bands. ______________________________________________ "UK" Pliers via AVINET. Size 0A - 9 $72. UKpliers via AVINET Avinet photo _______________________________________________ "UK" pliers via plier originator: British Trust for Ornithology Large pliers - £25.00 (abt. $41) Small pliers - £25.00 (abt. $41) BTO photo	Australian Bird Study Association Pliers Sizes 0A - 7 $82.25 ABSApliers I have a pair of the large pliers. (Avinet sells them as "German-made".) They are odd. The holes are oblonged. The brushed stainless steel is impressive looking! (from Avinet) I have not tried them on the larger bands as I usually just use my fingers to close them. It seems that if you close the bands to rapidly, these large pliers could mis-shape the band. Not sure if these are stainless through ABSA. The smaller pliers look identical to the UK/BTO pliers.

OTHER BANDING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS

A. MARQUETTE (bird bags)

ARMSTRONG INDUSTRIAL HAND TOOLS (retain ring pliers for band removal)

ASSOCIATION OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS

AVINET, INC. (bird bags, scales, pliers, wing rules, leg gauges)

E & J SWIGART CO. of WASH., D.C. (fine needlenose pliers)

FORESTRY SUPPLIERS, INC. (calipers, scales, etc)

GEY BAND AND TAG COMPANY (pliers for band sizes 0A-9)

NATIONAL BAND & TAG COMPANY (pliers for larger band sizes)

PORZANA LTD. (pliers for hard metal bands and pre-opened bands)

Some notes about certain problematic bands:

-- On occasion, the newer size 1A and 1B bands tend to stick in nearly every non "MacD" pliers ... sometimes even with newer MacD's produced after 2001 by a relative of Roger MacDonald.

-- Some recent size 0 bands are not closing round and become ovaled, sometimes beyond repair.

-- Stainless Steel 1A bands seem to be opening up on the legs of Cardinals (observed on a few recaptures) probably due to stainless steel memory.

Different generations of Roger MacDonald Pliers (left three)

Lee Rogers Hummingbird Pliers (far right)