Ray Wickline asked about a color-banded House Sparrow near the 
Mall.  This is likely a bird caught, tested and banded by the birders
at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) who 
are looking at the prevalence of West Nile Virus in the area.
Starlings, House Sparrows and Rock Pigeons get colored
bands, and native species get colored bands and FWS bands.
I don't know the meaning of the color codes.
   Take a look at http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/avian/wnv.jsp
for more.  
                             Jim

Jim Felley
Smithsonian Institution