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.
USGS Bird Science Today
USGS Bird Science Today
Read about the history of USGS bird research and the ways our science informs real-world decisions from sustaining hunting traditions to protecting at-risk bird species.
6 Birds USGS is Tracking
6 Birds USGS is Tracking
Using lightweight GPS transmitters and classic tools like bird bands, we track migratory birds in near real-time to study their flight paths and behaviors.
USGS Migratory Bird Science
USGS Migratory Bird Science
This report highlights the 2021 scope of USGS work supporting migratory bird conservation and management, with contributions from 90 scientists.
Bird Research
Bird Research
Filter Total Items: 100
Use of Remote Sensing Data to Quantify Bird and Bat Distributions and Inform Migratory Bird Conservation Efforts
Three federal wildlife refuge complexes on the upper Texas coast include portions of the Columbia Bottomlands and other forests that are important for migratory birds and possibly bats: Texas Mid-Coast, Trinity River, and Chenier Plain.
Interaction Between Alternative Energy Development and Raptors
Energy production has become essential for modern society. At the same time, this process can have negative effects on wildlife and ecosystems. It is in the best interest of society and the environment to understand these effects and to manage and mitigate for them. Our team focuses on measuring how energy development influences birds of prey and learning how to minimize impacts.
Information for Golden Eagle Management
This work provides basic information for managing golden eagles in the context of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668d). The recent development of energy resources, such as wind, oil, gas, and solar, can potentially affect landscapes in ways that require changes in golden eagle management practices. Our work emphasizes priority information needs identified by the USGS and U...
Genetic 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 Variability 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...
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...
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.
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...
Distribution, Occupancy and Population Genetic Structure of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California
The coastal California Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila californica californica), a federally threatened species, is considered a flagship species for southern California conservation planning. Dr. Barbara Kus collaborates with Dr. Amy Vandergast and local agencies to provide information to managers that can be used to conserve this species and its habitat.
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...
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...
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...
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.
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.
Population Structure and Demography of the Least Bell’s Vireo and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Use of Restored Riparian Habitat
Riparian woodlands are highly productive ecosystems that support a disproportionately high fraction of regional biodiversity. They are also one of the most endangered terrestrial systems in temperate North America, and have been reduced to just 5% of their former extent in California and throughout the American southwest. These losses have been accompanied by steep declines in numerous plant and...
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...
An Online Portal for Managing and Reporting Annual Piping Plover Monitoring Data
Federally-listed as threatened since 1986, the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) population comprises fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs, according to the most recent census data. These breeding pairs are the target of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) species recovery plan.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Automated Waterfowl Counts
The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is an important stopover point for waterfowl during early-spring and late-fall migrations, particularly portions of the river between the Navigation Pools 4 and 13.This part of the Upper Mississippi River contains large areas of aquatic vegetation that include preferred food sources such as Arrowhead and Wild Celery. In addition, many of these areas are...
Ecology of Hawaiian Waterbirds
Loss of wetlands, invasive plants, and non-native predators pushed Hawaii’s waterbirds to the brink of extinction by the early 1900s, although population numbers have improved somewhat in recent decades with conservation efforts. Nonetheless, all Hawaiian waterbirds have global population sizes estimated around or below below 2,000 individuals, making them still highly vulnerable to extinction...
Sea-Level Rise and Tsunami Vulnerability of Habitat and Wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Low-elevation Pacific islands are vulnerable to inundation from sea-level rise and sudden flooding events. The largely low-lying islands of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), that extend 1,930 km beyond the main Hawaiian Islands, are a World Heritage Site and part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The NWHI support the largest tropical seabird rookery in the world, provide...
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.
USGS Bird Science Today
USGS Bird Science Today
Read about the history of USGS bird research and the ways our science informs real-world decisions from sustaining hunting traditions to protecting at-risk bird species.
6 Birds USGS is Tracking
6 Birds USGS is Tracking
Using lightweight GPS transmitters and classic tools like bird bands, we track migratory birds in near real-time to study their flight paths and behaviors.
USGS Migratory Bird Science
USGS Migratory Bird Science
This report highlights the 2021 scope of USGS work supporting migratory bird conservation and management, with contributions from 90 scientists.
Bird Research
Bird Research
Filter Total Items: 100
Use of Remote Sensing Data to Quantify Bird and Bat Distributions and Inform Migratory Bird Conservation Efforts
Three federal wildlife refuge complexes on the upper Texas coast include portions of the Columbia Bottomlands and other forests that are important for migratory birds and possibly bats: Texas Mid-Coast, Trinity River, and Chenier Plain.
Interaction Between Alternative Energy Development and Raptors
Energy production has become essential for modern society. At the same time, this process can have negative effects on wildlife and ecosystems. It is in the best interest of society and the environment to understand these effects and to manage and mitigate for them. Our team focuses on measuring how energy development influences birds of prey and learning how to minimize impacts.
Information for Golden Eagle Management
This work provides basic information for managing golden eagles in the context of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668d). The recent development of energy resources, such as wind, oil, gas, and solar, can potentially affect landscapes in ways that require changes in golden eagle management practices. Our work emphasizes priority information needs identified by the USGS and U...
Genetic 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 Variability 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...
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...
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.
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...
Distribution, Occupancy and Population Genetic Structure of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California
The coastal California Gnatcatcher ( Polioptila californica californica), a federally threatened species, is considered a flagship species for southern California conservation planning. Dr. Barbara Kus collaborates with Dr. Amy Vandergast and local agencies to provide information to managers that can be used to conserve this species and its habitat.
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...
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...
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...
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.
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.
Population Structure and Demography of the Least Bell’s Vireo and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Use of Restored Riparian Habitat
Riparian woodlands are highly productive ecosystems that support a disproportionately high fraction of regional biodiversity. They are also one of the most endangered terrestrial systems in temperate North America, and have been reduced to just 5% of their former extent in California and throughout the American southwest. These losses have been accompanied by steep declines in numerous plant and...
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...
An Online Portal for Managing and Reporting Annual Piping Plover Monitoring Data
Federally-listed as threatened since 1986, the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) population comprises fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs, according to the most recent census data. These breeding pairs are the target of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) species recovery plan.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Automated Waterfowl Counts
The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is an important stopover point for waterfowl during early-spring and late-fall migrations, particularly portions of the river between the Navigation Pools 4 and 13.This part of the Upper Mississippi River contains large areas of aquatic vegetation that include preferred food sources such as Arrowhead and Wild Celery. In addition, many of these areas are...
Ecology of Hawaiian Waterbirds
Loss of wetlands, invasive plants, and non-native predators pushed Hawaii’s waterbirds to the brink of extinction by the early 1900s, although population numbers have improved somewhat in recent decades with conservation efforts. Nonetheless, all Hawaiian waterbirds have global population sizes estimated around or below below 2,000 individuals, making them still highly vulnerable to extinction...
Sea-Level Rise and Tsunami Vulnerability of Habitat and Wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Low-elevation Pacific islands are vulnerable to inundation from sea-level rise and sudden flooding events. The largely low-lying islands of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), that extend 1,930 km beyond the main Hawaiian Islands, are a World Heritage Site and part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The NWHI support the largest tropical seabird rookery in the world, provide...