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I'd like to ask a question about peregrine falcons and what happens if they swallow the birdring of another bird they've caught.

Which community would be the right one for this question? It doesn't seem to fit in Biology.

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    1. What does "birdring" mean? 2. Why wouldn't it fit on Biology?
    – user437611
    May 5, 2019 at 15:41
  • @Blue oh, sorry I thought it would be called like that. I mean the thing that some birds have on their legs Bird ringing
    – shiny-metal
    May 5, 2019 at 15:42
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    What's the question exactly? Like, if the falcon is yours (if you're doing falconry or something), it might be on-topic for Pets per this meta post about semi-domesticated wild animals. The Great Outdoors also has a birds tag, so I guess that depends on what you want to ask...
    – Jenayah
    May 5, 2019 at 15:43
  • @Blue their what to ask page sounds like it was more about science and laboratory questions than about animals in general.
    – shiny-metal
    May 5, 2019 at 15:44
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    @shiny-metal Ah, I see. Thanks. I guess you'll have to ensure whether you can ask this Biology Meta (worth a try anyway). Or perhaps Pets or The Great Outdoors as Jenayah suggests.
    – user437611
    May 5, 2019 at 15:45
  • @Jenayah in particular I was wondering whether it would be lethal to the bird. I've just saw one on a live camera in their nest and the mother swallowed it during feeding so I thought, hopefully it won't hurt it :-o
    – shiny-metal
    May 5, 2019 at 15:45
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    @shiny-metal Pets has "leg band" questions. The bands are made of different metals including aluminum, which affects egg production.
    – Rob
    May 5, 2019 at 21:28

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While I have limited experience with Outdoors, I think it might be on-topic there.

Their [birds] tag states:

Egg laying, two legged, warm blooded, vertebrates with feathers. Use this tag to ask questions about our feathered friends. Questions on topic include birdwatching bush craft, hunting and any outdoors related bird based activity.

More interestingly, there is an apparently well received question about birds and tags: Where to report bird with leg ring id?. The answers there suggest resources to report the bird's ID; as you said you saw that happen on a live channel, you might know the nest's location, and it might be worth putting a notice to the scientists/rangers monitoring the birds (if anyone is).

I suggest asking something along the lines of:

I saw a bird swallow the birdring of another bird it was eating on live camera [YouTube link or something]. I am wondering whether that could harm them.

  1. Can it actually cause harm or is it designed not to? (Researchers might have taken into account that the smaller birds could get eaten, when designing the tag)

  2. In that case, or if I ever was to see such a thing myself while [hiking/hunting/whatever], should I report it, and how do I know who to contact?

Note that as said above, I'm no regular of Outdoors; you might want to ask on their meta or in chat whether this advice is completely off-tracks.

Purely for the record, if the falcon had been yours (for falconry for instance), it might have qualified for Pets.SE, per this meta about semi-domesticated wild animals:

I believe this can be simply addressed by "a pet is any animal kept in or around a household that is dependant upon that household for food, shelter, and care."

Note that I'm no regular of Pets.SE either...

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  • If anyone from Outdoors/Pets reads this, please don't hesitate to tell me if I4m completely wrong. First site-recommendation answer, wouldn't want to give bad advice. :)
    – Jenayah
    May 5, 2019 at 16:09
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    From TGO, but not much into the bird-related stuff there, but I am quite sure it fits quite fine with us. Biology might also fit, theres usually some overlap there I guess
    – imsodin
    May 5, 2019 at 16:32
  • It looks like it's fine on Outdoors. Thanks!
    – shiny-metal
    May 5, 2019 at 16:33

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