What Is an Ornithologist?

Short answer

• An ornithologist is a scientist who studies birds. Ornithology is the scientific study of birds, a branch of zoology that covers bird behavior, anatomy, physiology, ecology, evolution, migration, and conservation.
• Ornithologists work in the field and in the laboratory. They run bird surveys, attach bands to birds to track their movements, monitor nests, collect samples for genetic study, analyze large data sets, and publish their findings in peer reviewed journals.
• Becoming an ornithologist usually starts with a bachelor's degree in biology, wildlife biology, zoology, or ecology, followed by field experience and often a master's degree. A doctorate is generally needed only for university faculty posts and senior research scientist roles.
• An ornithologist is not the same as a birdwatcher. Birdwatching is a hobby enjoyed for pleasure, while ornithology is scientific research that follows a research question, a planned method, and careful records.
• Birds number more than 11,000 species on Earth, and ornithologists study all of them, from tiny hummingbirds to large flightless ostriches.

What an Ornithologist Is, in Plain Language

An ornithologist is a scientist whose subject is birds. The word comes from two Greek roots: ornis, meaning bird, and logos, meaning study. Put together, ornithology means the study of birds, and an ornithologist is a person who carries out that study as a profession.

Birds form the class Aves, one of the most widespread groups of vertebrates on the planet. They live on every continent, in deserts, forests, mountains, wetlands, cities, and open ocean. More than 11,000 species have been described, according to Frontiers in Young Minds, and each one has its own behavior, song, plumage, migration route, and way of raising young. Ornithologists are the scientists who make sense of that variety, asking why birds do what they do and how they survive in the places they live.

The work is broader than most people picture. Some ornithologists spend months in remote forests counting birds at dawn. Others spend their days in a laboratory reading DNA sequences or studying sound recordings. Many do both, moving between field seasons and office work as the year turns. What unites them is method: they ask a clear research question, collect data in a planned and repeatable way, and test their conclusions against evidence that other scientists can check.

It is worth noting that there is no single license or certificate labeled ornithologist, the way there is a medical license or a bar exam. Ornithologist is a description of what a scientist does, not a protected job title. People in the field usually hold degrees in biology or a related science, and their job titles may read wildlife biologist, ecologist, research scientist, or professor, even when birds are the whole of their work.

What Ornithology Is as a Science

Ornithology is a branch of zoology, the study of animals, that is devoted entirely to birds. It is not a single narrow specialty. It covers anatomy and physiology, behavior and behavioral ecology, biogeography, ecology of populations and communities, evolutionary biology, genetics, life history, movement and migration, parasites and disease, reproductive biology, and systematics. That list includes the substantive areas published by the American Ornithological Society for its journal Ornithology, and it shows how wide the field reaches.

A few of those areas deserve a plain explanation:

• Behavior: how birds communicate, choose mates, defend territories, and raise young. Birdsong is one of the most studied forms of animal communication in science.
• Ecology: how birds relate to their habitats, their food, their predators, and each other, and how whole bird populations rise or fall over time.
• Evolution: how bird species came to be, how they are related, and how features such as flight, feathers, and beak shapes developed.
• Physiology: how a bird’s body works, from the way it breathes at high altitude to the way it stores fat for a migration of thousands of miles.
• Migration: where birds travel between breeding and wintering grounds, what routes they follow, and what guides them.
• Conservation: how bird populations are faring, what threatens them, and what actions protect them.

Ornithology also leans on other sciences. An ornithologist studying migration may use genetics to trace where a population breeds, chemistry to read the record of a bird’s diet in its feathers, and statistics to separate a real population trend from ordinary year to year variation. Climate science matters too, because shifting seasons and warming temperatures change when birds migrate and breed, and ornithologists are among the scientists tracking those changes.

What Ornithologists Do Every Day

A typical day depends on the season and the job, but most ornithologists combine fieldwork, laboratory work, data analysis, and communication. Field seasons are busiest in spring and fall, during breeding and migration, when data must be collected on a tight schedule. The rest of the year is often spent analyzing what was collected, writing reports and papers, and planning the next season.

Field research

Fieldwork is the part of the job most people picture, and it is real. Ornithologists conduct bird surveys at dawn, when birds are most vocal, recording every species they see or hear. They use standardized methods so that counts made in different years or different places can be compared fairly. Two common methods are point counts, in which an observer stands at a fixed spot and records all birds detected in a set time, and transect surveys, in which the observer walks a set route and records birds along it.

They also monitor nests, visiting them on a schedule to record when eggs are laid, how many hatch, and how many young survive to leave the nest. That information is the foundation of knowledge about breeding success, and it takes patience, because a single study may follow hundreds of nests across a whole season.

Fieldwork can be physically demanding. Surveys often start before dawn, involve hiking long distances carrying equipment, and continue in rain, heat, and cold. Some studies take ornithologists to remote places, including field stations far from towns and study sites overseas, especially when the birds they follow migrate across continents.

Banding

Banding is one of the oldest and most useful tools in ornithology. An ornithologist catches a bird, fits a small numbered metal or plastic band to its leg, records its age, sex, weight, and measurements, and releases it. When that bird is caught again, or found later, the band number links the two records, revealing how far the bird traveled, how long it lived, and whether it returned to the same breeding site.

Banding is not something anyone can do on their own. In the United States it requires federal and state permits, training, and demonstrated competence, and the work must follow strict rules designed to protect the birds. The data it produces feed into long term studies of survival and migration that no other method can replace.

Laboratory work and data analysis

Not all ornithologists work outdoors. Many spend much of their time in the laboratory, processing blood or feather samples for genetic analysis, examining museum specimens to document variation in plumage, or studying sound recordings to identify individual birds by their calls. Modern tools have added new kinds of laboratory work: GPS tags that record a bird’s position through a whole migration, automated recorders that capture thousands of hours of birdsong, and genetic sequencing that can settle questions about how species are related.

The analysis that follows is just as important as the fieldwork. Ornithologists use statistical software, most commonly R and increasingly Python, to test whether a pattern in the data is real. They use mapping software to model habitat and track movements. Citizen science platforms such as eBird, run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, give them access to sightings reported by birdwatchers across whole continents, which makes some studies possible at a scale no single research team could achieve alone.

Writing, teaching, and conservation

Research that is never shared helps no one, so ornithologists write a great deal. They publish findings in peer reviewed journals, write technical reports for the agencies that fund or use their work, and apply for grants to fund the next study. Senior ornithologists design research programs, supervise field crews, mentor graduate students, and serve on advisory committees for conservation organizations and government agencies.

Many also teach, whether as university professors, as educators at nature centers, or as guides leading bird walks for the public. Others translate research into conservation action: designing habitat restoration, writing management plans for endangered species, reviewing environmental impact assessments, and giving expert advice when a development project may affect birds.

The Tools of the Trade

Ornithologists use a mix of simple field gear and advanced technology. Binoculars and spotting scopes remain essential, because most bird identification still starts with seeing or hearing the bird well. Field notebooks, and now tablet apps, record observations in a standard form so the data can be compared and shared.

Mist nets, fine nets strung between poles, allow birds to be caught gently for banding and measurement before release. Audio recorders placed in remote habitats capture dawn choruses that can be analyzed later, which is especially useful for species that are hard to see. GPS tags and light level geolocators, small enough for a songbird to carry, record migration routes that were once impossible to follow. In the laboratory, DNA sequencers and sound analysis software turn samples and recordings into data.

Where Ornithologists Work

Most ornithologists work for federal and state wildlife agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, or universities. Federal employers include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. State wildlife agencies employ ornithologists to survey populations, set hunting regulations from harvest data, manage breeding habitat, and respond to conflicts between birds and people.

Nonprofit conservation organizations offer varied roles. Conservation biologists design and carry out habitat restoration. Science directors turn research findings into policy recommendations. Land stewards manage nature preserves for the best possible bird habitat. Smaller numbers of ornithologists work at zoos, natural history museums, bird observatories, and wildlife rehabilitation centers, and some work as environmental consultants, surveying rare species before construction begins and monitoring whether permit conditions are met.

Academic ornithologists hold university posts where they combine research, teaching, and mentoring graduate students. Museum curators maintain research collections of bird specimens, conduct studies of bird evolution and distribution, and oversee the preparation of new specimens. Research scientists at institutions such as the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center lead long term studies of population trends, migration, and climate change.

Ornithologist vs Birdwatcher: The Line That Matters

The difference between an ornithologist and a birdwatcher is one of purpose and method, not of enthusiasm. Birdwatching, also called birding, is a hobby. A birdwatcher watches birds for pleasure, learns to identify them, and may keep a personal list of species seen. Ornithology is scientific research. An ornithologist starts with a research question, follows a planned method, records data in a standard way, and subjects the conclusions to review by other scientists.

The two groups overlap and help each other. Many ornithologists began as birdwatchers, and many birdwatchers contribute valuable data to science through platforms such as eBird, where their sightings become part of large studies. The Frontiers in Young Minds article on the subject puts it plainly: you do not have to be an ornithologist to study and watch birds, and anyone can take part. But watching birds, however skilled and dedicated, is not the same as doing ornithology, and a bird list, however long, is not a scientific study.

How to Become an Ornithologist

There is no single path into ornithology, but the route most professionals follow has a clear shape.

Education

Most ornithologists start with a bachelor’s degree in biology, wildlife biology, zoology, or ecology. Few universities offer a standalone undergraduate major in ornithology, so students focus on birds through elective courses, independent research projects with professors who study birds, and summer internships while building a strong foundation in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Coursework in genetics, ecology, evolution, animal behavior, and biostatistics is especially useful.

A master’s degree is the standard credential for most professional ornithology positions beyond entry level technician roles, including posts with government wildlife agencies, conservation nonprofits, and consulting firms. A master’s program lets a student develop expertise in one area, such as shorebird ecology, raptor migration, or conservation genetics, while producing original research.

A doctorate is generally required for tenure track university faculty positions and senior research scientist roles at academic institutions and museums. It is not required for most applied conservation work, and many successful ornithologists build full careers with master’s level training, focusing on field research and management rather than university teaching.

Field experience

Classroom education alone is not enough. Employers look for practical field and laboratory experience, and the best way to gain it is early. Useful steps include joining a local birdwatching club, taking part in citizen science projects such as eBird, attending workshops run by bird observatories, completing summer field courses, interning with agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and volunteering with nonprofit conservation organizations. Many successful ornithologists accumulated hundreds of hours of unpaid or low paid field experience during their undergraduate years, often in seasonal technician posts.

Skills that matter

Sharp bird identification skills are the foundation, across all seasons and age classes, often from a brief view or a call alone. Physical stamina matters, because the work involves long hikes, early starts, and difficult weather. Careful observation and attention to detail are essential when recording behavior or monitoring nests.

Technical skills are now just as important as field skills. Statistical software, mapping software, and bioacoustics analysis tools are part of everyday work. Scientific writing is essential, because reports, proposals, and journal articles are a constant part of the job. Communication matters too: ornithologists present findings to agency directors, explain their work to landowners, testify at public hearings, and teach the public. Patience and persistence are needed as well, because bird research often requires years of data before patterns emerge.

First steps for a beginner

A good first step is to learn the birds of your own area well, by sight and by sound, using a field guide and regular outings. Joining a local bird club and a citizen science project puts a beginner alongside experienced watchers and turns casual sightings into useful records. From there, a summer field course or a volunteer post at a bird observatory is the usual bridge into paid fieldwork, and a degree with a bird focused research project is the bridge into the profession itself.

Salary and Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track ornithologists as a separate occupation. They are counted under zoologists and wildlife biologists, occupation code 19-1023, so the figures below describe that wider group, which includes ornithologists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for zoologists and wildlife biologists was $76,780 in May 2025, with about 19,500 people employed nationally in the group.

Pay varies by employer and experience. Those working in management, scientific, and technical consulting services earned a median of $84,570, while those in government, excluding state and local education and hospitals, earned a median of $78,650. Median pay was lower in social advocacy organizations, at $56,700, and in arts, entertainment, and recreation, at $51,330. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $49,100 a year, while the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $126,440.

Employment in the group is projected to grow 4 percent between 2025 and 2035, creating about 700 new positions over the decade, with about 1,400 openings each year once workers leaving the occupation or retiring are counted. That growth should not be read as an easy job market. Ornithology posts, especially permanent posts that focus mainly on birds, are highly competitive, and many qualified candidates apply for each opening. Prospects improve with practical experience, specialized technical skills, a willingness to relocate, and flexibility about job titles, since many of the best bird focused posts carry the title wildlife biologist or ecologist rather than ornithologist.

A Short History of Ornithology

People have watched and written about birds for thousands of years, but ornithology as a science took shape in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when naturalists began to describe species systematically and to study behavior in the field.

Alexander Wilson, a Scottish born naturalist who emigrated to the United States in 1794, is recognized as a founder of American ornithology. His nine volume work American Ornithology, published between 1808 and 1814, was a comprehensive study of North American birds, and it influenced later naturalists including John James Audubon. The birds of North America that Wilson described were the same birds that later ornithologists would count, band, and track, and our guide to birds of North America covers the variety of species he and his successors worked with.

In the twentieth century, field studies of single species over many years set a new standard. Margaret Morse Nice, an American ethologist and ornithologist who lived from 1883 to 1974, conducted a detailed behavioral study of song sparrows over eight years, documenting their songs, learning, territoriality, nesting habits, and social behavior. She published the results in Studies in the Life History of the Song Sparrow, in two volumes in 1937 and 1943, and wrote more than 250 scientific papers, reviews, and books in her career, according to Britannica.

Institutions grew alongside individual researchers. In 1915, Arthur A. Allen joined Cornell University as one of the nation’s first professors of ornithology and posted a sign outside his office door reading Laboratory of Ornithology. That small beginning became the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, now a nonprofit organization and a global center for the study of birds and biodiversity. Its mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.

Professional societies organized the field as well. The American Ornithological Society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists’ Union, founded in 1883, and the Cooper Ornithological Society, founded in 1893. The society publishes two international journals, Ornithology and Ornithological Applications, and its journal Ornithology has been published continuously since 1876. Conservation followed the science: Rosalie Edge established Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, which Frontiers in Young Minds describes as the world’s first protected area for birds of prey.

Why Ornithology Matters

Ornithology matters because birds are indicators of the health of ecosystems. Changes in bird populations often signal wider environmental problems, from habitat loss to pollution to a changing climate, and ornithological research is therefore essential for conservation planning and environmental policy. When a migratory species declines, the cause may lie on its breeding grounds, along its migration route, or on its wintering grounds, and only research that follows the birds across that whole journey can find it.

The knowledge ornithologists produce has practical uses. It guides the management of endangered species, the design of protected areas, the timing of farming and forestry work to avoid nesting birds, and the assessment of wind turbines and other developments for their effects on birds. It also helps public health, because birds carry and spread some diseases, and tracking their movements helps scientists understand how those diseases travel.

There is a simpler reason too. Birds are the most visible and most heard part of wildlife for most people, and understanding them is part of understanding the natural world. The many kinds of birds that ornithologists study, from warblers to waterfowl, are the subject of our guide to the various kinds of birds, which shows how much variety a single class of animals can hold.

FAQ

What is an ornithologist?

An ornithologist is a scientist who studies birds. Ornithology is the scientific study of birds, a branch of zoology that covers bird behavior, anatomy, physiology, ecology, evolution, migration, and conservation. Ornithologists work in universities, government wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and museums.

What do ornithologists do?

Ornithologists conduct field surveys, band birds to track their movements and survival, monitor nests, collect samples for genetic study, analyze data with statistical software, publish their findings in scientific journals, and advise on conservation and land management. Their work combines outdoor fieldwork with laboratory analysis and writing.

How do you become an ornithologist?

Start with a bachelor’s degree in biology, wildlife biology, zoology, or ecology, then build field experience through internships, volunteer work, and seasonal technician posts. A master’s degree is the standard credential for most professional posts, while a doctorate is generally needed for university faculty positions and senior research roles.

Do you need a PhD to become an ornithologist?

Not for most ornithology careers. A bachelor’s degree qualifies you for field technician and research assistant posts, and a master’s degree is usually enough for professional work with government agencies, conservation organizations, and consulting firms. A doctorate is mainly required for tenure track university posts and senior research scientist roles.

What is the difference between an ornithologist and a birdwatcher?

An ornithologist is a scientist who studies birds using planned methods, standard data collection, and peer review. A birdwatcher watches birds for pleasure as a hobby. Many ornithologists started as birdwatchers, and birdwatchers contribute valuable data through citizen science, but watching birds is not the same as doing ornithology.

How much does an ornithologist earn?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track ornithologists separately. They are counted under zoologists and wildlife biologists, whose median annual wage was $76,780 in May 2025. Pay varies by employer, with consulting services at a median of $84,570 and government posts at a median of $78,650.

Where do ornithologists work?

Most work for federal or state wildlife agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, or universities. Smaller numbers work at zoos, natural history museums, bird observatories, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and environmental consulting firms.

What is ornithology?

Ornithology is the scientific study of birds. The word comes from the Greek ornis, meaning bird, and logos, meaning study. It is a branch of zoology and covers everything from bird anatomy and genetics to behavior, ecology, migration, and conservation.

How many bird species are there?

More than 11,000 bird species have been described on Earth, according to Frontiers in Young Minds. Ornithologists study all of them, from tiny hummingbirds to large flightless birds such as ostriches.

Is ornithology a good career?

Ornithology is rewarding for people who love birds and fieldwork, but it is competitive, and permanent posts that focus mainly on birds are hard to win. Employment for zoologists and wildlife biologists, the group that includes ornithologists, is projected to grow 4 percent between 2025 and 2035. Practical field experience, technical skills, and flexibility about job titles and location improve a candidate’s prospects.

Sources & references

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "Our Story", https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/our-story/ (founded in 1915 when Arthur A. Allen joined Cornell University as one of the nation's first professors of ornithology; nonprofit organization and global center for the study of birds and biodiversity). Mission wording from the Cornell Lab Living Bird profile, "A Quarter Century of Leadership", https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/a-quarter-century-of-leadership/ (mission: to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds).
• American Ornithological Society, "Ornithology", https://americanornithology.org/publications/ornithology/ (journal published continuously since 1876; retitled Ornithology for its 138th volume in 2021; published by the Nuttall Ornithological Club 1876 to 1883, the American Ornithologists' Union 1884 to 2016, and the American Ornithological Society since 2016 after the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society; ranked 3rd out of 29 journals in the ornithology category; substantive areas listed).
• EnvironmentalScience.org, "What Is an Ornithologist? Salary, Education and Career Path", https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/ornithologist (ornithologist studies bird behavior, physiology, ecology, and conservation; field methods including point counts, transect surveys, banding under federal and state permits, and nest monitoring; employers; education ladder).
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists", https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/zoologists-and-wildlife-biologists.htm (occupation code 19-1023; median annual wage $76,780 in May 2025; about 19,500 jobs in 2025; lowest 10 percent earned less than $49,100 and highest 10 percent earned more than $126,440; projected growth 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about 700 new positions, about 1,400 openings a year).
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "What They Do: Ornithologists", Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Summer 2013, https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2013/summer/yawhat.pdf (ornithology is the branch of zoology related to birds; fieldwork involves surveying and counting birds and monitoring nests; ornithologists attach metal or plastic bands to a bird's leg to identify individuals; advanced degree needed for most professional jobs; work in academia, federal and state agencies, and wildlife and conservation organizations).
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Margaret Morse Nice", https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Morse-Nice (American ethologist and ornithologist, 1883 to 1974; long term behavioral study of song sparrows over eight years; Studies in the Life History of the Song Sparrow, 1937 and 1943; more than 250 scientific papers, reviews, and books).
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, "American Ornithology, work by Wilson", https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/20041/American-Ornithology (Alexander Wilson, founder of American ornithology; American Ornithology, nine volumes, 1808 to 1814).
• Frontiers in Young Minds, Houtz, "Following Feathers: Adventures with Bird Experts", https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2026.1648286 (more than 11,000 bird species on Earth; ornithologists study songs, flight patterns, and habitats; Rosalie Edge established Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, described as the world's first protected area for birds of prey; anyone can watch and study birds without being an ornithologist).