LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- State biologists and volunteers have rounded up over 1,000 Canada geese in southeastern Michigan and fitted them with leg bands.
It's part of a nationwide program to track the population and movement of geese in the U.S. About 150,000 geese and swans are banded each year, along with more than 200,000 ducks.
The banding provides scientists with information about migratory flyways and kill and survival rates. The data is helpful in setting hunting regulations.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the banding process involves herding geese into temporary pens. Each goose is captured and passed to a biologist, who determines its age and sex. Then it's fitted with a band with a serial number so the bird can be traced. The geese are then released.