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Key Documents to Help Conserve Alaska’s Diverse Landbird Populations

Alaska, where four major migratory flyways converge, hosts a diverse array of globally important avian habitats

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Geology

Geologic Mapping, Energy Resources, Mineral Resources, Earthquakes, and Tsunamis

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Water Research

Hydrologic Monitoring, Glaciers, Bridge Scour, and Transboundary Rivers

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Ecosystems

Species and Habitats of Terrestrial and Marine Ecosystems

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Landscape Science

Fire Ecology, Permafrost, and Hydrology

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Hazards

Hazards in Alaska

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Alaska Science Center

The mission of the Alaska Science Center is to provide objective and timely data, information, and research findings about the earth and its flora and fauna to Federal, State, and local resource managers and the public to support sound decisions regarding natural resources, natural hazards, and ecosystems in Alaska and circumpolar regions. We have offices in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. 

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In the Spotlight

Image: Cow with Her Yearling Calf on the Beach Near Pt. Lay, AK

A new study in Point Lay, Alaska, has shown that high-resolution Earth observing satellite imagery can be a cost-effective tool for monitoring walrus populations. Learn more about how USGS scientists work with local communities like Point Lay and the Eskimo Walrus Commission to study walruses from space.

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Current Water Conditions

Alaska view on the National Water Dashboard

Explore real-time Alaska streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data with our new interactive map application.

Current Conditions

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News

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New Insight on the Potential for Blue-Winged Teal to Transfer Avian Influenza to Domestic Poultry

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New Alaska Landbird Conservation Plan and Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey Protocol

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Video of Rare Birds Breeding on St. Matthew Island, Alaska

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Publications

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is an emerging disease threat to wild birds in North America

Prior to the emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD) H5N1 influenza A virus, the long-held and well-supported paradigm was that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks were restricted to poultry, the result of cross-species transmission of precursor viruses from wild aquatic birds that subsequently gained pathogenicity in domestic birds. Therefore, management agencies typicall
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Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Species-specific responses to landscape features shaped genomic structure within Alaska galliformes

AimConnectivity is vital to the resiliency of populations to environmental change and stochastic events, especially for cold-adapted species as Arctic and alpine tundra habitats retract as the climate warms. We examined the influence of past and current landscapes on genomic connectivity in cold-adapted galliformes as a critical first step to assess the vulnerability of Alaska ptarmigan and grouse
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Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center

Kittlitz’s murrelet seasonal distribution and post-breeding migration from the Gulf of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean

Kittlitz’s Murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nest during summer in glaciated or recently deglaciated (post-Wisconsin) landscapes. They forage in adjacent marine waters, especially those influenced by glacial meltwater. Little is known of their movements and distribution outside the breeding season. To identify post-breeding migrations of murrelets, we attached satellite transmitters to birds
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Ecosystems, Alaska Science Center
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Science

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Common Eider pair in the water

Tracking Data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima)

Available here are tracking data of Common Eider, a sea duck species found across Alaska and the Arctic. Some populations migrate between distant breeding and wintering areas while others are essentially nonmigratory. These data were collected to better understand the migration of the different populations in Alaska and migratory connectivity to adjacent regions, such as Russia.
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Alaska Science Center
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Tracking Data for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima)

Available here are tracking data of Common Eider, a sea duck species found across Alaska and the Arctic. Some populations migrate between distant breeding and wintering areas while others are essentially nonmigratory. These data were collected to better understand the migration of the different populations in Alaska and migratory connectivity to adjacent regions, such as Russia.
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Image: Marking Whooper Swan

Tracking Data for Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus)

Available here are tracking data for the whooper swan, a Eurasian species that closely resembles the trumpeter swan in North America. These data were collected to better understand the potential transmission of avian influenza viruses carried by swans and provide information on the migratory habits of whooper swans in East Asia.
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Alaska Science Center
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Tracking Data for Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus)

Available here are tracking data for the whooper swan, a Eurasian species that closely resembles the trumpeter swan in North America. These data were collected to better understand the potential transmission of avian influenza viruses carried by swans and provide information on the migratory habits of whooper swans in East Asia.
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Kittlitz's Murrelet flying above the water in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Tracking Data for Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris)

Available here are tracking data for the Kittlitz’s murrelet, a rare seabird species that nests solitarily on the ground in barren, often alpine areas near the North Pacific and Bering Sea.
By
Alaska Science Center
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Tracking Data for Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris)

Available here are tracking data for the Kittlitz’s murrelet, a rare seabird species that nests solitarily on the ground in barren, often alpine areas near the North Pacific and Bering Sea.
Learn More
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