Avian Bander Companion
Field reference & data logger
$1.99 · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Avian Bander's Companion is the essential field tool for licensed North American bird banders — built by a researcher with 500+ birds banded across the Appalachian chickadee hybrid zone.
BANDING DATA ENTRY
Complete BBL-standard data form: species, band number, band size, age code, sex, measurements, fat score (0–7), flight muscle, cloacal protuberance, brood patch, molt code, primary molt notes
How-aged and how-sexed checklist (skull, molt limit, plumage, CP/BP, and more)
Recapture flag and all standard BBL disposition codes (300, 301, 600, etc.)
Default station and bander pre-fill to speed up high-volume sessions
Session summary: today's capture totals by species at a glance
CSV export with one tap — import directly into Excel, R, or your banding database
599 NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES
Every regularly-occurring breeding, wintering, and migratory species on the AOS Check-list
Searchable by common name, scientific name, or 4-letter IBP alpha code
Browse by taxonomic family or A–Z
Typical band size class shown for every species
Tapping any species shows full aging/sexing criteria if available
DETAILED SPECIES PROFILES
Literature-sourced aging and sexing criteria for the most commonly-banded passerines
Organized by season: fall (HY vs AHY), spring (SY vs ASY)
Covers plumage, skull pneumatization, molt limits, primary shape, iris color, covert contrast, and structural features
Sexing criteria with honest notes on reliability — including cases where CP/BP is the only confident method
Field notes on ecology, hybrid zones, subspecific variation, and identification pitfalls
Sources: Pyle (1997) Identification Guide to North American Birds Part I; North American Banding Council manuals
WING CHORD REFERENCE
75+ species with mean and range by sex (flattened wing chord, mm)
Sourced from Pyle (1997) and NABC manuals
Filter by male, female, or both
Sexual size difference calculated automatically
CUSTOM CRITERIA IMPORT
Paste CSV data to add your own aging/sexing notes for any species
Transcribe directly from Pyle's tables or family-specific guides
Stored permanently on your device — no account or internet required
All data stored locally on your device. No account required. No internet connection needed in the field. No ads, no subscription, no tracking.
Note: All banding must be performed under valid federal and state permits (Migratory Bird Treaty Act, state wildlife agency). Band sizes shown are general guidance only — always verify against the current USGS BBL Bander's Manual for the specific species, age, sex, and population before banding.
Data sources: Pyle, P. (1997) Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part I, Slate Creek Press. North American Banding Council (NABC) Passerine and Near-Passerine manuals. AOS Check-list of North American Birds. IBP standard 4-letter alpha codes. USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) standard age, sex, disposition, and band-size codes.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Updated CSV exporting of banded birds.
The developer, Austin Russell, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Austin Russell
- Size
- 1.2 MB
- Category
- Reference
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.5 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 26.5 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 26.5 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 26.5 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 26.5 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Austin Russell
