Species We Study: Birds Active
To understand information needs and respond to the many challenges in bird conservation, USGS scientists participate in Flyway committees, on Joint Venture boards and working groups, in professional organizations, and in other conservation partnerships. These activities connect USGS scientists to conservation partners with whom they work to address substantial challenges. More than one hundred USGS scientists are dedicated to the scientific study of birds.
Bird Research
Genetic and Demographic Analyses of Species at Risk
Effects of Climate Change and Other Environmental Stressors on Water Birds and Their Habitats
Conservation Ecology and Monitoring of Raptors
Avian Movements, Monitoring, and Conservation
Bird Movement and Migration
Waterbird Breeding Ecology and Management
Contaminants in Waterbirds and Effects on Avian Reproduction
Breeding and Wintering Ecology of Waterfowl
Ecology and Population Dynamics of Ridgway's Rails along the West Coast of the U.S.
Waterfowl Ecology in California and the Pacific Flyway
Seabird Health and Adaptive Management
Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS migratory bird research is listed below. A complete listing of USGS migratory bird data is available from the button below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS migratory bird research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS migratory bird publications is available from the button below.
Find out what's new!
- Overview
To understand information needs and respond to the many challenges in bird conservation, USGS scientists participate in Flyway committees, on Joint Venture boards and working groups, in professional organizations, and in other conservation partnerships. These activities connect USGS scientists to conservation partners with whom they work to address substantial challenges. More than one hundred USGS scientists are dedicated to the scientific study of birds.
Bird ResearchFilter Total Items: 104Genetic and Demographic Analyses of Species at Risk
Genetic and demographic analyses are key to understanding mechanisms of population and species declines and recovery potential. They are equally important to managers assessing risk of extinction relative to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act, and for establishing recovery goals and planning recovery actions. In addition to the methodologically and conceptually complex nature of these...Effects of Climate Change and Other Environmental Stressors on Water Birds and Their Habitats
Predicted climate impacts on arid U.S. Great Basin wetlands will alter their number, distribution, and quality (e.g., salinity). The scarcity and isolation of these wetlands make them essential not only to wildlife but to ranchers, farmers, and urban areas that rely on their ecosystem services. Great Basin wetlands are important habitats for migratory birds at high volumes, but they become...Conservation Ecology and Monitoring of Raptors
Raptors, or birds of prey, are often used to indicate the state of an ecosystem, and monitoring their populations can help us to understand ecosystem processes. Raptors are particularly good animals for monitoring because they are big and therefore charismatic and easy to observe. Whether we’re monitoring nesting biology and reproductive output, counting individuals on roads, or setting up trail...Avian Movements, Monitoring, and Conservation
The Migratory Connectivity Project (MCP) is an effort to research, collect, and provide information about animal movement and full lifecycle biology, particularly for North American bird species, to agencies and NGOs interested in their conservation.Bird Movement and Migration
Migration is an amazing annual event. Every year billions of animals – birds, mammals, insects, and fish – make long-distance journeys from breeding grounds to wintering grounds. Most northern hemisphere birds migrate southward, but there are many other ways that birds move seasonally. If we want to protect birds that take these long distance journeys, we need to understand why they move, why they...Waterbird Breeding Ecology and Management
The San Francisco Bay is designated as a site of hemispheric importance to shorebirds and annually supports over one million waterbirds. Within the USGS WERC waterbird breeding ecology program, Dr. Josh Ackerman and partners are studying habitat selection, movements, and factors influencing waterbird nest success and chick growth and survival.Contaminants in Waterbirds and Effects on Avian Reproduction
California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Estuary have a long history of mercury contamination from past mercury mining and gold extraction. Waterbirds are particularly susceptible to mercury because of their use of wetland habitats where methylmercury (the most toxic and biologically available form) is produced and relatively low methylmercury exposure can reduce reproductive success...Breeding and Wintering Ecology of Waterfowl
Western U.S. wetlands provide critical habitat for wintering and breeding waterfowl in California. WERC's Dr. Josh Ackerman is working toward collecting data to understand factors influencing duck nest success, to improve and restore breeding habitat for resident duck populations in California, and understand composition of predator communities. To learn more about how USGS WERC is implementing...Ecology and Population Dynamics of Ridgway's Rails along the West Coast of the U.S.
The Ridgway’s rail is a federal and state listed endangered species that occurs in wetlands along the Pacific Coast and from the Lower Colorado River drainage to southern Baja California. Three subspecies of Ridgway’s rail are found within the United States: the California Ridgway’s Rail, Yuma Ridgway’s rail, and Light-footed Ridgway’s rail. All three subspecies have declined since 1900 as a...Waterfowl Ecology in California and the Pacific Flyway
The Suisun Marsh and Central Valley in California offer some of the world’s most important wetland habitats for waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway. Mike Casazza and USGS WERC biologists are providing the science to support and evaluate waterfowl populations and habitat management in North America.Seabird Health and Adaptive Management
Dr. Josh Adams and his science team at WERC study seabird health and support adaptive management by quantifying abundance patterns and behaviors associated with habitats at sea, where seabirds spend the overwhelming majority of their lives. Adams’s team also employs conservation science to support resource managers on land, where seabirds are obligated to nest. His group provides scientific...Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)
Dr. Barbara Kus is a partner in an international bird-monitoring program to provide long-term data throughout North America. MAPS or “Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship”, uses capture and banding data to compile basic demographic parameters of migratory species, many of which are imperiled regionally and even globally. Age- and sex-specific data on annual survival, reproduction, and... - Data
Recent data (2020-2022) related to USGS migratory bird research is listed below. A complete listing of USGS migratory bird data is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 13No Result Found - Publications
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS migratory bird research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS migratory bird publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 60 - News
Find out what's new!