Why Federal Bird Science Deserves Our Strongest Support
For decades, two programs from the U.S. Geological Survey have provided essential information about birds. They must continue to be fully funded.
Why Federal Funding for Bird Science Matters
USGS Bird Banding Lab and North American Breeding Bird Survey are critically important federal programs for securing a future for birds and people. It is essential they remain adequately funded.
Audubon Delta Director of Conservation Science, Dr. Erik Johnson, Ph.D., bands a Northern Cardinal female during the St. Bernard Bird Festival in Louisiana. Photo: Sydney Walsh/Audubon
77M
Birds banded since the creation of the Bird Banding Lab in 1920
500+
Bird species counted during the annual Breeding Bird Survey
2,500
Birders and biologists who volunteer their time to participate in the Breeding Bird Survey
A Powerhouse of Bird Conservation
Every year, billions of birds embark on epic journeys across continents, migrations that connect ecosystems, signal environmental change, and inspire millions of people. But how do we know where birds go or why some species are vanishing from the skies? Much of this knowledge stems from two long-standing scientific programs housed within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) and the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). These programs have quietly powered bird conservation in the U.S. for decades, providing the data that reveal the health of our natural world and underpin environmental decisions.
What Are the Bird Banding Lab and Breeding Bird Survey?
Banding data informs migratory bird management decisions and helps track avian-borne diseases, such as avian influenza, protecting public health and the economy.
The Bird Banding Lab, established in 1920, collects, archives and analyzes bird banding data collected by hundreds of scientists. The findings are then used to help understand changes in bird populations and ecosystem health, including environmental drivers of species’ survival, reproduction, and migration patterns Banding data were used by Rachel Carson to document DDT as the cause of declines in Peregrine Falcons in the 1960s, which was pivotal in preventing their extinction. Today, banding data informs migratory bird management decisions and helps track avian-borne diseases, such as avian influenza, safeguarding public health and the economy.
The Breeding Bird Survey is a community science program created in 1966 to count birds annually along established routes. Its data are essential for monitoring population trends of hundreds of species, for example, the loss of 3 Billion Birds in North America since 1970, which in turn supports the creation of science-based management strategies to keep common birds common and bend the curve of bird declines. The BBS data have many broad applications; for example the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has used the data to document the benefits of Farm Bill and grassland restoration programs on declining grassland bird species. Additionally, it is used to improve the safety of commercial and military aircraft through the Air Force Bird Avoidance Model.
Why Should You Care?
These programs allow agencies and partners like Audubon to make science-based decisions that benefit the health of both bird populations and people, while also supporting $279 billion in economic activity and 1.4 million U.S. jobs related to birding. When birds thrive, so do the ecosystems and communities that depend on clean water, healthy forests, and resilient coasts.
Save Bird Science Programs
Urge Congress to invest in the science that protects birds and people by funding the Bird Banding Lab and Breeding Bird Survey.
How Bird Science Helps Us Protect Clean Air and Water
Looming Federal Cuts Threaten the Bird Banding Lab, a Cornerstone of Avian Science
For more than a century, the USGS program has revealed crucial insights about where birds go, how they’re faring, and what we can do to help them. Its budget and staff are now on the chopping block.
Bird Bands Lead to Better Conservation for Sea and Shorebirds
Reported bird bands provide critical data to researchers, land managers, and policy makers.
USGS and Audubon Formalize Partnership in Bird Data Collaboration
A newly signed Memorandum of Understanding allows for both organizations to share information from some of the longest-running datasets in the world, and sets the stage for future collaboration.
The Ballad of U10: How One Mischievous Bird Taught Me to Love Gulls Even More
After a chance beach encounter with a banded Herring Gull, cartoonist Rosemary Mosco dug deep into the surprisingly popular bird's life and adventures.
Finding Wisdom in A Century’s Worth of Bird Banding Records
The U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding Lab "puts a ring on it" and reveals the wonders of birds migration.
To Experience Migration in a New Way, Check Out a Bird Banding Station
Visiting or volunteering at one of these sites can provide up-close avian encounters and a chance to contribute to valuable data collection.
50 Years Later, America’s Breeding Bird Survey Keeps Delivering New Insights
To celebrate the count’s 50th anniversary, a set of newly published papers show how valuable the project's volunteer-driven dataset is to conservation.
Bling That Tells a Story of Resilience in the Great Lakes
How bird banding protects the Great Lakes Piping Plover and more.
The Swainson's Thrush Is in a Rush
This long-distant migratory songbird is more often heard than seen during its quick stop on its breeding grounds in Alaska's boreal forest before heading all the way back to Argentina.
Get Audubon in Your Inbox
Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news.