The Institute for Bird Populations

The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation-science organization headquartered in Petaluma, California. Established in 1989, it was created to investigate the causes of bird population declines and to turn rigorous ecological research into information that land managers, policymakers, and conservation organizations can use. Rather than operating as a consumer-facing product brand, IBP functions as a scientific and field-conservation institution whose principal outputs are monitoring programs, research studies, data resources, technical guidance, training, and conservation recommendations. IBP’s work follows birds across their annual cycles and across a wide range of landscapes. Its best-known initiative is the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program, a continent-wide collaborative network of constant-effort mist-netting and banding stations. Data from participating stations are used to evaluate productivity, survival, recruitment, and other demographic indicators in North American landbirds. The program is designed to help researchers understand why populations change and to identify the environmental pressures associated with those changes. The organization also operates the Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MoSI) Program with international partners. MoSI focuses on the non-breeding season of migratory and resident birds in the Neotropics, a period and region for which historically less demographic information has been available. Stations have operated in countries extending from Mexico to Colombia, helping researchers investigate winter habitat requirements and the factors affecting survival outside the breeding range. In addition to these networked programs, IBP conducts place-based research and conservation work. Its Sierra Nevada Science and Conservation Program addresses land management, wildfire, environmental change, rare-species surveys, national-park monitoring, and conservation strategies. Its Pacific Northwest program works with the National Park Service to track avian population trends in six national parks and to examine responses to climate change and other ecological stressors. The Southwest Science and Conservation Program includes monitoring at Grand Canyon and other protected areas, as well as pilot use of autonomous recording units in remote Mojave Desert landscapes. IBP’s broader scientific portfolio includes pollinator ecology, including research on bumble bees and Rufous Hummingbirds; studies of molt and plumage used to improve the aging and sexing of captured birds; and training for beginning and advanced bird banders. Training covers mist-net setup, bird handling, in-hand identification of age and sex, and the standardized collection and management of MAPS data. The organization also works with government agencies, national parks, nongovernmental organizations, and other land managers on applied conservation questions. IBP emphasizes publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals, while also producing information intended for practical management. Its stated goals are to conduct high-quality ecological research, maintain long-term datasets that can support conservation science worldwide, and train future generations of avian conservationists. The organization is a member of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Its activities span North America, the Neotropics, Pacific Islands, and other locations where collaborative bird and wildlife research is needed.

The Institute for Bird Populations was founded in 1989 in response to the need for better scientific understanding of bird declines. Its institutional model has centered on combining standardized field monitoring with ecological analysis so that population changes can be interpreted in demographic and environmental terms rather than simply recorded as annual counts. The organization’s first major initiative was the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Program. MAPS developed into a continent-wide collaborative network of constant-effort mist-netting and bird-banding stations. By collecting data according to consistent protocols, the program supports comparisons among locations and years and allows researchers to examine productivity, survivorship, recruitment, and related demographic measures. The resulting datasets have become a foundation for research on North American landbirds and on the factors associated with population change. IBP subsequently expanded its work beyond the breeding season and beyond the United States and Canada. Through the Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal Program, the organization and its partners established monitoring stations in the northern Neotropics, including countries from Mexico to Colombia. The program addresses a major information gap concerning the winter ecology and habitat needs of migratory and resident birds. Studying birds during the non-breeding season allows conservationists to connect population outcomes with conditions encountered outside the breeding range. The institute also developed regional science and conservation programs tailored to specific management landscapes. In the Sierra Nevada, its work has included studies of land-management practices, wildfire, environmental change, rare and imperiled species, and bird trends in national parks. In the Pacific Northwest, IBP has collaborated with the National Park Service on long-term monitoring in six national parks. These projects are intended both to meet immediate park-management needs and to clarify how birds respond to climate change and other ecological pressures. A Southwest program broadened the regional portfolio to protected areas including Grand Canyon and other national parks. Initial work has included long-term population monitoring and testing autonomous recording units as a way to study birds in remote portions of the Mojave Desert. Alongside its bird-focused programs, IBP has undertaken research on pollinator ecology and conservation, including bumble bees and Rufous Hummingbirds, reflecting the organization’s wider interest in wildlife, ecosystem services, and environmental change. IBP has become recognized for technical expertise in molt and plumage. Accurate aging and sexing of captured birds are important for interpreting demographic data, and the institute has pursued new applications of plumage research to conservation and management. It also provides beginning and advanced bird-bander training, including instruction in mist-net operation, handling, identification, and standardized data recording. The institute’s work is collaborative. Government agencies, national parks, nongovernmental organizations, universities, land managers, and international partners participate in monitoring and research activities. IBP places substantial emphasis on peer-reviewed publication, while also translating findings into practical recommendations for habitat management and species conservation. Its stated long-term mission is supported by three linked priorities: producing high-quality ecological research, maintaining large-scale population datasets covering birds’ full annual cycles, and preparing the next generation of avian conservation professionals. An earlier Burrowing Owl Research and Monitoring program conducted statewide surveys in California during the early 1990s and again in 2006–2007. That program is no longer active, but it illustrates the institute’s approach of combining broad field surveys with conservation-oriented population assessment. Today, IBP remains an active nonprofit organization working across North America, the Neotropics, Pacific Islands, and other regions through monitoring networks, regional science programs, training, and applied conservation partnerships.

1. 1989Institute founded

   The Institute for Bird Populations was established as a nonprofit organization focused on understanding the causes of bird population declines.

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2. MAPS Program established

   IBP launched its first major initiative, the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Program, creating a collaborative network of standardized bird-monitoring stations across North America.

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3. MoSI Program expanded winter-season monitoring

   IBP and international partners developed the Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal Program to study migratory and resident birds on their non-breeding grounds in the Neotropics.

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An applied conservation-science institute combining long-term bird monitoring, demographic research, field programs, training, and decision support for land managers and policymakers.

• Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) ProgramAvian monitoring network

  MAPS is a collaborative network of constant-effort mist-netting and bird-banding stations. Standardized field protocols generate information on productivity, survivorship, recruitment, and other demographic measures for North American landbirds. The data are used to investigate population trends, ecological conditions, and the causes of change, providing a scientific basis for conservation and land-management decisions.

• Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MoSI) ProgramNeotropical bird monitoring

  MoSI is an international monitoring program focused on the non-breeding season of North American migratory birds and resident Neotropical species. Stations have operated in 15 countries from Mexico to Colombia. The program helps identify winter habitat requirements and provides information about survival and ecological conditions outside the breeding range.

• Sierra Nevada Science and Conservation ProgramRegional conservation science

  This regional program studies birds and other wildlife throughout the Sierra Nevada. Its work includes assessing land-management practices, wildfire, environmental change, rare-species status, and avian trends in national parks. Results are intended to support conservation strategies and practical management responses for species and habitats facing ecological stress.

• Pacific Northwest Science and Conservation ProgramRegional conservation science

  IBP’s Pacific Northwest program collaborates with the National Park Service to monitor avian population trends in six national parks. The long-term work addresses park-management needs while examining how birds respond to climate change and other environmental pressures in protected landscapes.

• Southwest Science and Conservation ProgramRegional conservation science

  The Southwest program focuses on bird monitoring and conservation in the American Southwest. Its initial activities include long-term monitoring at Grand Canyon and other national parks, together with pilot deployment of autonomous recording units to study bird populations in remote protected areas of the Mojave Desert.

• Pollinator Ecology and ConservationPollinator research

  IBP’s pollinator work examines ecological relationships and conservation needs involving species such as native bumble bees and Rufous Hummingbirds. The program responds to concerns about pollinator declines and the importance of pollinators to ecosystem functioning and plant reproduction.

• Molt and Plumage StudiesAvian morphology research

  These studies improve the interpretation of bird-monitoring data by developing knowledge of molt, plumage, age, and sex. Accurate classification of captured birds is essential for demographic analyses, and IBP applies plumage research to conservation and management questions.

• Bird Bander TrainingProfessional training

  IBP offers introductory and advanced training in bird banding and monitoring. Instruction can cover mist-net setup and operation, bird handling, in-hand aging and sexing, and the scoring and recording procedures used in MAPS work. Trainers may also provide customized courses for host institutions.

• Burrowing Owl Research and Monitoring ProgramSpecies research and monitoring

  IBP’s former Burrowing Owl program led California-wide population surveys in the early 1990s and again in 2006–2007. The program is no longer active.

1. Institute for Bird Populations
2. The Institute for Bird Populations official website