Proposed Elimination of the Bird Banding Laboratory Could Devastate Bird Conservation and Migration Science

The 2026 proposed federal budget includes cuts that would eliminate the Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA), which includes the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL), housed under the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). If this closure comes to pass, there will be enormous repercussions for conservationists, wildlife researchers, and birders.

Nate McKelvie trains a group of Hawk Mountain trainees. Many bird banders are volunteers. Photo courtesy of © Scott Weidensaul.

The BBL has been an essential resource for tracking bird migratory patterns since 1920, when it was founded, following the ratification of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The BBL coordinates bird banding activities across the United States and its territories, maintaining a comprehensive database of banding and encounter records. This database allows scientists to learn about migration patterns and develop conservation strategies.

If BBL is eliminated, no new banding permits will be issued and new data collection and access to existing data would be halted. It’s possible the existing database would be deleted, an immense potential loss of over 100 years of data. Without the BBL, support for bird conservation through programs that monitor species like Northern Saw-whet Owl would be crippled.

Scott Weidensaul, an experienced bird bander and prolific author, spoke with ABA, urging that “it’s crucial for birders to realize that this is far, far bigger than just the BBL.” Because the proposed cuts are for the entire EMA, that also includes the Breeding Bird Survey, USGS Bee Lab, North American Bat Monitoring Program, and dozens of Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Units. Loss of these agencies would eliminate the positions of 1,200 biologists and ecologists and dismantle ecological research across the country, which includes researchers who work to monitor at-risk grassland species like Thick-billed Longspur, conserve endangered Hawaiian forest birds, and prevent the spread of brown tree snakes in Guam, among many other projects.

Bird banding data is foundational to just about everything we know about the lives of wild birds, Weidensaul explains: lifespan, migration routes, site fidelity, breeding behavior, population dynamics. Large-scale research efforts like Motus tagging and nanotag transmitters are all regulated and coordinated by the BBL. The BBL also coordinates with Canada, so if the BBL ends, Canadian research and conservation efforts will be dramatically damaged as well because of shared supplies, systems, and data.

Of the many conservation success stories made possible by the BBL, waterfowl recovery is a key example. Of the 1,000,000 birds banded annually, about 350,000 are waterfowl, and that data informs adaptive management of hunting seasons and bag limits. The BBL-run data is essential for effective management. Because BBL data underpins hunting seasons for birds, elimination of BBL would likely result in regulatory chaos.

Perhaps most distressing, and ironic given that the elimination of BBL would come in the name of government efficiency, the BBL is an extremely cost-effective and efficient program, with large return on investment. For instance, a Northern Saw-whet Owl project in Pennsylvania has banded 14,000 birds using 85+ volunteers at no cost to the government beyond the price of bands and administrative work. That is just one program out of dozens or perhaps hundreds or even thousands around the country. The Breeding Bird Survey also relies on volunteers, thousands of them, and is one of the most efficient long-term bird monitoring programs in existence.

A Northern Saw-whet Owl makes a memorable face as it is banded. A Northern Saw-whet Owl project in Pennsylvania has banded 14,000 birds using 85+ volunteers at no cost to the government beyond the price of bands and administrative work. Photo courtesy of © Scott Weidensaul.

Without the BBL, the ability of researchers to use dynamic new technologies like pressure-sensitive geolocators, GPS-GSM transmitters, nanotags, and many more will go away, as part of the function of the Bird Banding Laboratory is to grant banders permission to legally catch wild birds and mark them. For Weidensaul, he will be unable to continue three decades of Northern Saw-whet Owl research, and it will also be the end of Project SNOWstorm, possibly the most successful Snowy Owl study in the world. These initiatives were funded by small, public donations rather than federal money.

Less quantifiable, the loss of bird banding would be emotionally crushing for countless researchers and conservationists, for virtually all of whom bird banding is a calling rather than a job. Many people have dedicated their lives to this work. As Weidensaul shares:

I can speak for myself when I say it’ll rip the heart out of a lot of us. I don’t get paid a dime to band birds; I do it because it’s a privilege to work that intimately with wild birds, and because the data we produce have demonstrable value in safeguarding the future of birds. I don’t know anyone who does this work, even those for whom it is a salaried profession, for whom it’s a punch-the-time-clock chore. Everyone doing this work could probably make more money, in far more comfortable surroundings, than being out in the field working with birds. We do it because we love birds, and we know the work we do is vital to protecting them.

Weidensaul adds that birders must take action now. The budget is now in the Senate’s hands, having already passed the House. It’s especially important to contact Republican senators, as Democrats are largely shut out of the process, though reaching out to Democratic senators can still help shape the overall tone and strength of opposition. Phone calls are most effective. Be polite and personal, and explain why the USGS bird and ecological research matters to you.

Conservation organizations like Indiana Audubon have voiced strong opposition to the dismantling of BBL. On Thursday May 22, 2025, over 2,200 people participated in an event organized by the National Wildlife Federation entitled “Virtual Rally to Save the Cornerstone of Conservation Science.” Attendees sent nearly 3,000 messages and made 800+ calls to Congress in support of federal conservation science programs. As a result, a temporary restraining order halting mass firings of federal workers, including USGS scientists, has been extended indefinitely. Congressional offices are now exerting more oversight over plans affecting the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, a good development.

A Veery receives a band. So much of what birders know about the lives of birds, from migration routes to lifespan to population dynamics and more, has been made possible by bird banding. Photo courtesy of © Scott Weidensaul.

The proposed elimination of the EMA comes on the heels of the publication of a new paper in Science entitled “North American bird declines are greatest where species are most abundant.” The study analyzed extensive bird population data across North America, and its counterintuitive finding indicates that even common species are experiencing significant losses, emphasizing the widespread nature of avian population declines. The study also emphasizes the need for fine-scale information on population trends to guide limited conservation efforts and resources.

This research underscores the critical importance of comprehensive bird monitoring programs, such as those facilitated by the Bird Banding Laboratory.

The ABA thanks Scott Weidensaul for sharing his expertise on the topic and providing images.

 

Frank Izaguirre is an Editor of Birding magazine. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife, Adrienne, and daughter, Maya.