The Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme (ABBBS), a combination of the former Australian bird banding and bat banding schemes, is managed by the Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australia.

History

The earliest banding of wild birds for scientific research in Australia began in 1912 with the banding of Short-tailed Shearwater

Short-tailed Shearwater

The Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...

s and White-faced Storm-Petrel

White-faced Storm-petrel

The White-faced Storm Petrel , also known as White-faced Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Pelagodroma....

s by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...

 and the Bird Observers Club. Following the Second World War some state-based programs of banding Short-tailed Shearwaters and waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

 began. However, the organised banding of birds on a national basis started in 1953 through the CSIRO Division of Wildlife Research, with the bat banding scheme beginning in 1960. In 1984 the national coordination of banding was taken over by the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, a responsibility which has now been inherited by the Department of the Environment and Heritage.