Bruce Peterjohn
October 2008 to present: I am currently Chief of the US Bird Banding Laboratory for USGS, responsible for administering the national bird banding program and the data management system for bird banding and band encounter datasets. My personal banding activities are focused on banding hummingbirds in the mid-Atlantic region, especially hummingbirds that appear during late autumn and winter.
Biography
1999 to 2008: Wildlife Biologist with USGS-BRD at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Responsible for the operation and development of various population monitoring programs for Patuxent involving birds and calling amphibians. Emphasis was on developing coordinated monitoring efforts for shorebirds and colonial waterbirds, as well as use of the internet for accessing population monitoring data for conservation purposes.
March 1991-1999: Wildlife Biologist responsible for the coordination of the North American Breeding Bird Survey program. This program was originally a part of the Migratory Birds Management Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, but was transferred to the National Biological Service in 1993 and to the U.S. Geological Survey in 1996. Prior to joining the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I was a biologist working for the state of Ohio.
Education:
- B.A. degree in Biology from the College of Wooster
- M.S. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale).
Science and Products
Bird Banding Laboratory
The Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is an integrated scientific program established in 1920 supporting the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of information from banded and marked birds in North America. This information is used to monitor the status and trends of resident and migratory bird populations. Because birds are good indicators of the health of the environment, the...
Bird Banding Laboratory: Recent Accomplishments
The Challenge: Bird banding is one of the most indispensable techniques for studying the movement, survival and behavior of birds. The North American Bird Banding Program was established in 1920 and has evolved into the complex operation that supports the activities of approximately 1550 Master banders and 6000 sub-permittees in the United States.
Why bird banding should continue
Peterjohn, Bruce G. Gathering, organizing and accessing data for use in bird conservation across the Americas
The U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) Monitoring Subcommittee (2007) identified the need for a comprehensive plan for integrating and managing bird population monitoring data, and to adapt this as an integral component for improving monitoring activities across North America. While the Subcommittee provided a basic framework...
Rich, Terrell D.; Martin, Elizabeth; Peterjohn, Bruce G.; Kelling, Steve Native grasses: Contributors to historical landscapes and grassland-bird habitat in the Northeast
Peterjohn, B.; Eick, B.; Blumberg, B. Grassland and shrubland birds of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site: Current status and management recommendations
Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) and Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS) were surveyed for grassland birds during the 2005 breeding season. These parks currently maintain a total of approximately 1,220 ha (3,015 ac) of grassland habitats within a mosaic of cultivated fields and woodlands. The grasslands are hayfields managed through...
Peterjohn, Bruce G. [Book review] Birds in Europe: Population estimates, trends and conservation status
Effective bird conservation requires knowledge of distribution, relative abundance, and population trends at multiple geographic scales. Obtaining this information for a continental avifauna poses considerable challenges, especially in Europe with its 52 countries, numerous languages and cultures, and disparate resources available for monitoring...
Peterjohn, Bruce G. Conceptual ecological model for management of breeding shrubland birds in the Mid-Atlantic Region
While grassland birds have become the focus of increased conservation activities, the status of birds occupying shrubland habitats has received relatively little attention (Hunter et al. 2001). Yet, in eastern North America, shrubland birds exhibited consistent population declines during the past 40 years, based on data from the North American...
Peterjohn, Bruce G. Conceptual ecological model for management of breeding grassland birds in the Mid-Atlantic Region
The status of grassland birds has become an increasingly important conservation issue. These species exhibit the most consistent population declines of any group of North American birds during the past 40 years. Anecdotal evidence suggests these declines have been occurring for nearly a century (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999). While the widespread...
Peterjohn, Bruce G. Book review: Shorebirds of North America: the photographic guide
As stated in the preface of this new guide, shorebirds are among our most engaging birds. Their ecology and behavior are the subjects of numerous ornithological studies, their identification can challenge the skills of the most serious birdwatchers, and people with a casual interest in birds are captivated by the antics of Sanderlings (Calidris...
Peterjohn, Bruce G. Plant species invasions along the latitudinal gradient in the United States
It has been long established that the richness of vascular plant species and many animal taxa decreases with increasing latitude, a pattern that very generally follows declines in actual and potential evapotranspiration, solar radiation, temperature, and thus, total productivity. Using county-level data on vascular plants from the United States (...
Stohlgren, T.J.; Barnett, D.; Flather, C.; Kartesz, J.; Peterjohn, B. North American Breeding Bird Atlas viewer
The North American BBA Viewer allows searching and display of data from multiple Breeding Bird Atlases (BBAs). The BBA Viewer is part of a group of tools integrating maintenance and display of BBA results, from data entry to coordinator review to display of final maps. Currently we have compiled results from 16 completed atlases and manage 5 in-...
Wimer, M.; Peterjohn, B.; Ott, A.; Griffin, N. Monitoring Puerto Rican avifauna using roadside surveys
In 1997 we began investigating the use of roadside point counts to monitor the long-term status and trends of Puerto Rican bird populations. If such a methodology proves feasible it may provide the empirical data needed for the development of sound conservation plans for the island's avifauna in much the same way that North American Breeding Bird...
Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D.; Pardieck, K.L.; Peterjohn, B.G. Book review: Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas
The first North American breeding bird atlases were initiated during the 1970s. With atlases completed or ongoing in more than 40 U.S. states and most Canadian provinces, these projects are now familiar to professional ornithologists and amateur birders. This book provides the results of the Oklahoma Breeding Bird Atlas, the data for which were...
Peterjohn, Bruce G.