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North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)

Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is a project monitored by the USGS and the Canadian Wildlife Service on the status and trends of North American bird populations. The data can be used to estimate population trends and relative abundances at various scales. The BBS is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research More...

  • Image of Breeding Bird Survey logo

Mercury Correlations Among Six Tissue Types in Waterbirds in San Francisco Bay

Mercury is a contaminant of significant concern in waterbirds because it can accumulate to high concentrations in their tissues and cause deleterious effects such as impaired reproduction. Numerous studies and monitoring programs have evaluated concentrations of mercury in waterbird tissues as an index of risk to exposure. However, no single More...

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DOI Workshop on Adaptive Management

Case study presented at the Department of Interior Workshop on Adaptive Management of the successful use of adaptive management for the regulation of the North American waterfowl harvest, which has reduced contentiousness in rule-making using a transparent and inclusive process, provided maximum hunting opportunity using a framework for More...

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Conservation Genetics of Shorebirds: Identification of Conservation Units, Genetic Diversity, and Population: Specific Markers for North American Shorebird Species of Concern

Conservation Genetics of Shorebirds uses molecular techniques to describe genetic structure and diversity in North American shorebirds (order: Charadriiformes) to facilitate population maintenance and recovery of these migratory birds.

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Conservation Genetics: Birds

This web page offers samples of genetics and genomics research from the USGS Biological Resources Discipline about the conservation genetics of birds.

  • Broad-tailed Hummingbird female (Selasphorus platycerus)

Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP)

This project is a joint effort for developing and testing protocols for collecting, processing, transporting, and storing seabird eggs collected at several Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR) colonies. Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) is a long-term, cooperative project that is currently collecting, processing, More...

  • image of common (center) and thick-billed Murres

Conservation Genetics Lab

The Conservation Genetics Lab carries out molecular analysis, pedigree analysis, modeling, data management, and cryogenic sample repository. As a part of this research, the lab investigates the effectiveness of molecular markers used to enhance enforcement of the Endangered Species Act policy. During the past 15 years, this research has involved More...

  • image of a frog (anura)

Data from the 2006 International Piping Plover Census

This report presents the results of the 2006 International Census of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus). Two sets of tabular data are reported: one for distribution and abundance of wintering Piping Plovers, the other for distribution and abundance of breeding Piping Plovers. The winter census resulted in the observation of 3,884 Piping Plovers More...

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Winter Ecology of Rock Sandpipers

Rock Sandpipers are a species unique to the north Pacific, with breeding populations found in near-shore habitats ringing the Bering Sea (Gill et al. 2002). Likely numbering fewer than 100,000 individuals and with at least 4 recognized subspecies, this robin-sized shorebird displays physiological feats of wonder by virtue of its being the More...

  • Rock Sandpiper chick on St. Matthew Island

Alaska Off-road Breeding Bird Survey: Database of Bird Distribution

This site links to a database of bird distribution which looks at patterns in the numbers of birds detected among Alaska Off-road Breeding Bird Survey routes. The database can be searched in two different ways: by area, and by species. To find out more about the data contained in the database of bird distribution, take a look at the metadata page, More...

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Pacific Shorebird Migration Project

Remote sensing technology has been used to fill key information gaps on how the tribe Numeniini, to which godwits and curlews belong, migrate within and across continents. During 2007-2008, four species (Bar-tailed Godwit, Hudsonian Godwit, Bristle-thighed Curlew, and Long-billed Curlew) - representative of the various migration strategies More...

  • Map of migrant overview

North American Bird Phenology Program

The North American Bird Phenology Program houses a unique and largely forgotten collection of six million Migration Observer Cards that illuminate migration patterns and population status of birds in North America. These handwritten cards contain almost all of what was known of bird status from the Second World War back to the later part of the More...

  • North American Bird Phenology Program logo