Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Wildlife & Terrestrial Species

See Our Research

Fish & Aquatic Species

See Our Research

Energy & Wildlife

Learn More About Our Research

Tools & Technology

See the Tools We Use

Threats

What Threats are Wildlife Facing?

Species Management Research Program

The Species Management Research Program provides science that is used by managers, policy makers, and others for decisions that protect, conserve, and enhance healthy fish and wildlife populations across the United States and beyond.  

Species We Study

Image: Louisiana Black Bear and Cubs

From tiny insects to whales, check out the diversity of plants and animals our scientists study across the world.

Learn More

Animal Welfare Assurance

Photo of a hen pintail with a GPS transmitter.

The USGS promotes animal welfare and human and animal safety in research, teaching, and training activities.

Learn More

News

Mechanisms by Which Heatwaves Impact Seabirds and Marine Ecosystems

Mechanisms by Which Heatwaves Impact Seabirds and Marine Ecosystems

USGS researchers kick-off collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration with a tour of state wildlife crossings and a day at the Fort Collins Science Center

USGS researchers kick-off collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration with a tour of state wildlife crossings and a day at the Fort Collins Science Center

USGS Friday's Findings - June 28, 2024

USGS Friday's Findings - June 28, 2024

View All

Publications

Realizing the potential of eDNA biodiversity monitoring tools in the marine environment with application to offshore renewable energy

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researches the biological diversity and distribution of species to support management, conservation, and resource use decisions. USGS scientists advance detection and monitoring technologies to assess changes in fish and wildlife populations, biodiversity, and the health of ecosystems. The United States is planning to install 30 gigawatts of offshore marine and wi

Authors
Adam Sepulveda, Cheryl Morrison, Maggie Hunter, Mona Khalil
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Gulf of Mexico

Lead poisoning of raptors: State of the science and cross-discipline mitigation options for a global problem

Lead poisoning is an important global conservation problem for many species of wildlife, especially raptors. Despite the increasing number of individual studies and regional reviews of lead poisoning of raptors, it has been over a decade since this information has been compiled into a comprehensive global review. Here, we summarize the state of knowledge of lead poisoning of raptors, we review dev
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, Deborah J. Pain, Michael McTee, Leland Brown, Sandra Cuadros, Mark Pokras, Vince Slabe., Rick Watson, Guillermo Wiemeyer, Bryan Bedrosian, Jordan O Hampton, Chris N. Parish, James M. Pay, Keisuke Saito, John Schulz
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Abundance of Long-billed Curlews on military lands in the Columbia Basin

Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) are declining throughout North America, and the loss of grassland breeding habitat is one of the primary threats to the species. Intermountain West, in particular, has been identified as the most important region in North America for breeding curlews. Nevertheless, the density and abundance of Long-billed Curlews in this region is not well understood. Land
Authors
Sharon Poessel, Elise Elliott-Smith, Sean M. Murphy, Susan M Haig, Adam E. Duerr, Todd E. Katzner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
View All

Science

link
NPPSD illustration

North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database

The North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD) contains survey transect data designed and conducted by numerous partners primarily to census seabirds at sea. The NPPSD includes more than 486,000 transect segments and includes observations of over 20 million birds of 258 species collected over the span of 50 years (from 1973 to 2022).
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
link

North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database

The North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD) contains survey transect data designed and conducted by numerous partners primarily to census seabirds at sea. The NPPSD includes more than 486,000 transect segments and includes observations of over 20 million birds of 258 species collected over the span of 50 years (from 1973 to 2022).
Learn More
link
single female greater sage-grouse sits in sagebrush

Characterizing greater sage-grouse climate-driven maladaptation

Climate change will expose many species to novel extreme environmental conditions, that may test organisms’ ability to respond to environmental change. Local adaptation, when a species evolves to be more suited for its local environment, can be an indicator of whether a species is likely to persist in the rapidly changing environment. Habitat specialists, like the greater sage-grouse, have evolved...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
link

Characterizing greater sage-grouse climate-driven maladaptation

Climate change will expose many species to novel extreme environmental conditions, that may test organisms’ ability to respond to environmental change. Local adaptation, when a species evolves to be more suited for its local environment, can be an indicator of whether a species is likely to persist in the rapidly changing environment. Habitat specialists, like the greater sage-grouse, have evolved...
Learn More
link
single, flying greater sage-grouse female

Characterizing the environmental drivers of range-wide gene flow for greater sage-grouse

Widespread anthropogenic development in the sagebrush steppe and shifting climatic patterns have contributed to the observed dramatic declines of the greater sage-grouse since the 1960s. Alteration of the sagebrush habitat can affect many aspects of the species life history, including survival and local resource use. Over many years, the combined effects of landscape composition on these traits...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
link

Characterizing the environmental drivers of range-wide gene flow for greater sage-grouse

Widespread anthropogenic development in the sagebrush steppe and shifting climatic patterns have contributed to the observed dramatic declines of the greater sage-grouse since the 1960s. Alteration of the sagebrush habitat can affect many aspects of the species life history, including survival and local resource use. Over many years, the combined effects of landscape composition on these traits...
Learn More
View All