Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation

Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation is sponsored by Department of the Interior. Working with others to conserve, enhance, and better understand the ecology and habitats of migratory bird species.

Migratory Birds | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service The Migratory Bird Program works with partners to protect, restore and conserve bird populations and their habitats for the benefit of future generations by: ensuring long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing socioeconomic benefits derived from birds, improving hunting and bird watching and other outdoor bird-related experiences, and increasing awareness of the value of migratory birds and their habitats for their aesthetic, ecological, recreational and economic significance.

Among our major roles in bird management and habitat conservation, we conduct surveys; coordinate with public-private bird conservation partnerships; provide matching grants for partner-based conservation efforts; administer conservation laws and develop policies and regulations; and issue permits that allow individuals and organizations to participate in migratory bird conservation in a variety of ways.

We also help educate and engage our nation's youth in wildlife conservation topics and provide resources for parents and educators who want to help their students explore and appreciate our natural world and our feathered friends. Our Projects and Initiatives The USFWS has been a leader in migratory bird conservation since the founding of the Service. Our efforts focus migratory bird conservation at large flyway and continental scales.

We identify and coordinate with our State, Federal and nonprofit partners to respond to emerging conservation and hunting issues. We work with our partners to build public understanding of migratory bird conservation. We also lead the federal family in bird conservation issues.

One of our core responsibilities is managing game species to provide for recreational and subsistence hunting opportunities and authorizing take of migratory birds in a manner that is compatible with the four international treaties. We must strive for continual improvements and efficiency in issuing permits while maintaining sustainable populations of birds.

Because the quantity, quality, availability, and distribution of habitats are important drivers of bird populations, the loss and degradation of natural habitats are key factors in the declines of many migratory bird species. Ensuring the future of migratory birds requires the effective conservation of breeding, wintering, and migration habitats throughout their annual cycle to sustain populations at desired levels.

Strategic, adaptive, collaborative approaches that address habitat requirements of birds at landscape scales are paramount, so that finite resources can be leveraged across organizational lines and targeted toward “local” habitat conservation actions expected to best support range-wide objectives for population sustainability.

The Migratory Bird Program manages data as a strategic asset and a “trust resource” by developing information systems that improve customer service, government transparency, decision-making, and accessibility for the public. A fairly large number of international treaties and domestic laws have been enacted that provide protection for migratory birds.

To help put the legal authorities into perspective, we have categorized them as primary and secondary authorities. Primary authorities are international conventions and major domestic laws that focus primarily on migratory birds and their habitats. Secondary authorities are broad-based domestic environmental laws that provide ancillary but significant benefits to migratory birds and their habitats.

Latest Stories and Topics 2026 WBPHS Field Report - Northern Ontario and Quebec Preparing for the survey is always a daunting task. It takes several days to pack and ensure that you have all the clothing, equipment, and emergency supplies needed for a month in a very remote region of Northern Canada. More often than not, when you look out the window during the survey, or even...

2026 WBPHS Field Report - Western Dakotas and Montana Eastern and southeastern Montana experienced an unusually dry and warm winter and spring again in 2025-2026. Winter weather forecasts indicated a La Niña pattern developed but the opposite weather conditions prevailed - warm and dry. Snowpack was well below average to the extent that the National...

2026 WBPHS Field Report - Eastern Dakotas Waterfowl habitat conditions in the Eastern Dakota survey area have exhibited a south-to-north gradient in recent years, and 2026 was no different. After some ground reconnaissance around Mitchell, South Dakota, the survey began on May 5.

2026 WBPHS Field Report - Southern Alberta As the 2026 breeding season kicked off across the Canadian prairies, our partners at the Canadian Wildlife Service were already ahead of the curve—monitoring bird movements closely to help us time our survey work just right. Despite lingering late spring snow showers, conditions warmed quickly, and...

2026 WBPHS Field Report - Southern Ontario and Quebec Our survey this year was one of the smoothest I have experienced. We always try to ride the front of the phenology wave – we want the ice to be gone and the trees starting to bud, since these are visible surrogates for knowing that most ducks and geese headed to more northerly breeding habitats...

2026 WBPHS Field Report - Maine and the Atlantic Canada As I near 30 years of participation in the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey I feel nothing but gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to what is possibly the most significant wildlife monitoring program in the world. I’ve been blessed to see much of North America, including...

Whether you contribute as a partner in a grant project, engage with local organizations through the Urban Bird Treaty program, co-host a special event with partners in your area, or buy a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation (Duck) Stamp - supporting one of the nation's oldest and most successful conservation programs - YOU have an opportunity to play a crucial role in bird conservation.

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grants The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant Program funds projects promoting the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Grants funded under the NMBCA program help partners protect, research, monitor, and manage...

North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) U.S. Standard Grants NAWCA U.S. Standard grants are competitive, matching grants that support public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the U.S. that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated...

The Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds (Urban Bird Treaty) is a program working with cities and partners to conserve migratory birds through education, hazard reductions, community science, conservation actions, and conservation and habitat improvement strategies in urban/... Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp (E-Stamp) First Day of Issue Event on June 26, 2026 in St.

Augustine, FL Please check out our event page for more information Federal Duck Stamps are so much more than just hunting stamps, they are also collectible works of art and an easy way for everyone to support wetland conservation!...

Data obtained from various migratory bird surveys and programs are used to produce reports and publications, guidance documents, management and conservation plans, and hunting regulations - all of which are necessary to conserve and manage migratory birds. Migratory birds face numerous threats throughout their annual cycles from human-caused sources.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is working with governments, conservation organizations, industry, and the public to reduce threats across the North American landscape to preserve our birds for...

Avoiding and Minimizing Take of Migratory Birds To better protect migratory bird populations and provide more certainty for the regulated community, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or Service, works to address human-caused mortality by providing information on measures people can take to avoid and minimize the take of migratory birds. The... Information about bald eagle and golden eagle biology, behaviors, and populations.

Guidance and tools for conserving, managing, and monitoring eagles. Information on the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and it's regulations, as well as information on permits for eagle take, possession, and...

Raven Conflict Management Explore our comprehensive approach to addressing the dynamic challenges posed by the increasing populations of common ravens in North America, as we strive to balance ecological integrity and human interests. Annual migratory bird population status reports are posted each year in mid to late August.

Highlighted species include waterfowl, American Woodcock, Mourning Dove, Band-tailed pigeon, Sandhill Crane, and Mottled Duck. Additional reports include population status on Peregrine falcon and Bald and... The Migratory Bird Program develops and implements a variety of activities designed to inform bird conservation policies and initiatives.

These activities are numerous and varied, and are undertaken by a wide variety of organizations through partnerships as well as by the public through various citizen action and citizen science initiatives. Bird Banding: A Conservation Tool within the Migratory Bird Program (Ducks, Geese, Doves, and more) Interested in how you can report a banded bird or how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program uses this information?

Maybe you'd like to know more about reward bands or what types of birds are banded? Read on to find the answers! Reporting Banded Birds If you have found or harvested a banded bird, please report it at www.

reportband. gov. You'll need the... Bird Banding: A Conservation Tool within the Migratory Bird Program (Ducks, Geese, Doves, and more) Adaptive Harvest Management The annual process of setting duck hunting regulations in the United States is based on a system of resource monitoring, data analyses, and rule making.

Each year, monitoring activities such as aerial surveys and hunter questionnaires provide information on harvest levels, population size, and habitat conditions. Data collected from this monitoring program are analyzed... Adaptive Harvest Management The Migratory Bird Program utilizes a number of different lists to direct U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service actions and priorities to manage and protect migratory birds.