Bird and Terrestrial Species Conservation

This project focuses on understanding the prevalence and strains of avian influenza viruses in the aquatic environment and how this compares to those circulating within wild birds in the same area.

Southeast Asia has long been the epicenter of AIV emergence. However, as demonstrated by H5NX, these viruses can quickly reach global spread and have significant impacts on poultry production and human health. Researchers at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center have two ongoing efforts funded by the National Science Foundation to help improve our understanding of AIV emergence, spread, and...

USGS is collaborating with numerous partner institutions to explore the susceptibility to and pathogenesis of relevant avian influenza strains in waterfowl species with special emphasis on sea ducks and diving ducks.

This project is an effort to create spatially and temporally explicit models for waterfowl distribution across the United States for use in avian influenza transmission risk modeling.

The objective of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS) project was to document the occurrence and diversity of bird species in nearshore and open sea environments of the Gulf of America for the purposes of better informing regulatory and other decisions that influence the conservation of migratory birds.

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the primary source for critical quantitative data to evaluate the status of continental bird species, keeping common birds common and helping fuel a $75 billion wildlife watching industry. Each year thousands of citizen scientists skilled in avian identification collect data on BBS routes throughout North America allowing us to better understand...

USGS is conducting research to better understand biology, behavior, and survival of juvenile fishes that travel between fresh and saltwater to complete their lifecycles. Migratory fishes as such as herring and shad are vital components in riverine and coastal ecosystems, transporting food and nutrients between fresh rivers and the ocean. They are also an important forage fish for predators in...

USGS is developing predictive models to inform sustainable harvest of horseshoe crabs ( Limulus polyphemus) in Delaware Bay to help managers make decisions to support needs of people and shorebirds including rufa red knot ( Calidris canutus rufa).

USGS is collaborating with many biologists in analysis of data on osprey ( Pandion haliaetus) and their prey (menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, and other species of fish) in the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The data compiled and collected will help determine if a lack of menhaden or other environmental factors are affecting osprey reproductive success in portions of the...

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...

The Quantitative Turtle Analysis Project (QTAP) was created in 2019 with the goal of investigating how machine learning can be used to study wildlife populations using capture-recapture methods. QTAP has specifically been researching how digital images of the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) can be used by automated programs to recognize unique individual turtles, in place of a...

The Asian Flyways Collaborative for Waterbirds (AFCoW) is a collaborative group effort that brings together research scientists engaged in understanding waterbird ecology in Eastern Asia. Due to the complexity of waterbird biology and unique threats to their populations in East Asia, we have established a voluntary international network of collaborators to promote advanced studies of large-scale...