The Institute for Bird Populations
The Institute for Bird Populations is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1989, that operates continent-wide bird banding and demographic monitoring programs (MAPS, MoSI) for federal agencies, universities, and conservation NGOs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersPetaluma, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Institute for Bird Populations does
The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Point Reyes Station. It enables science-based conservation of species and habitats by studying the abundance, demography, and ecology of birds and other wildlife, and it collaborates with government agencies, universities, and NGOs locally, nationally, and globally to assess the effects of land management actions and ecological stressors on bird populations.
IBP's core scientific platform is the MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) program — the first continent-wide bird banding collaboration — and its sister program MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal) covering Latin America and the Caribbean. These programs use standardized constant-effort mist-netting and capture-recapture statistical modeling to produce longitudinal demographic data on 158+ North American landbird species, housed in the Vital Rates of North American Landbirds resource. Supporting products include the standardized four- and six-letter bird species alpha codes (updated annually against AOS taxonomy), regional science and conservation programs across the Sierra Nevada, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Pacific Islands, and new research lines in acoustic ecology, pollinator ecology, and molt and plumage studies.
IBP is funded through grants, donations, and government contracts rather than commercial sales. Its primary customer segments are federal and state agencies (National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), universities and research institutions, and conservation NGOs. The organization distributes its work through a publications database of 870+ peer-reviewed papers, the Bird Pop! blog, a Constant Contact newsletter, annual reports, and social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok.
The Institute for Bird Populations firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Institute for Bird Populations
- Legal name
- The Institute for Bird Populations
- Website
- https://birdpop.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Institute for Bird Populations is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1989, that operates continent-wide bird banding and demographic monitoring programs (MAPS, MoSI) for federal agencies, universities, and conservation NGOs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Institute for Bird Populations industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wildlife Conservation Research
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH)
Keywords
Where The Institute for Bird Populations is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Petaluma
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Institute for Bird Populations business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
The Institute for Bird Populations product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Institute for Bird Populations is a nonprofit research organization that conducts standardized bird population monitoring and demographic research through programs such as MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) and MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal). It produces demographic data, vital rates analysis, and standardized bird species alpha codes used by conservation agencies, universities, and NGOs to inform science-based conservation of bird species and habitats across the Americas.
Product overview
The Institute for Bird Populations operates as a science-based bird conservation organization offering a portfolio of monitoring programs, data resources, and publications. The core offerings include MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship), the first continent-wide bird banding program, and its sister program MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal) operating in Latin America and the Caribbean. These programs are supported by data products including standardized Bird Species Alpha Codes and the Vital Rates of North American Landbirds resource. The organization also publishes the Bird Populations Journal, a peer-reviewed scientific publication dedicated to avian demography and biogeography. Regional Science and Conservation Programs address specific geographic areas including Sierra Nevada, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and Pacific Islands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MAPS - Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship: The first continent-wide bird banding collaboration monitoring avian productivity and survivorship across North America.
- MoSI - Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal
- TMAPS - Tropical Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship
- Vital Rates of North American Landbirds
Products and services
- MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) The first continent-wide bird banding collaboration program that monitors avian productivity and survivorship through standardized mist-netting at hundreds of stations across North America. It provides vital rate data including survival estimates and productivity indices for over 158 species of North American landbirds and is used by government agencies, universities, and conservation organizations for science-based conservation.
- MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal) A sister bird banding program to MAPS that operates in Latin America and the Caribbean to assess habitat-specific overwintering survival of neotropical migratory landbirds. It is used by researchers and conservation organizations to understand migratory bird ecology across the full annual cycle.
- Bird Species Alpha Codes Standardized 4-letter (English) and 6-letter (scientific) bird species alpha codes based on AOS taxonomy for North American, Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean birds, updated annually following AOU/AOS supplements. These codes are used by researchers, bird banders, and conservation organizations across the Americas for consistent species identification in data records.
- Bird Populations Journal A peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to the study of dynamic avian demography and biogeography from a global perspective, first published in 1993. The journal served the avian conservation research community; publication is currently suspended (since 2016).
- Vital Rates of North American Landbirds A comprehensive online resource providing vital rate data (productivity, survival, and other demographic parameters) for North American landbird species derived from MAPS program data. It serves researchers, conservation professionals, and land managers needing demographic drivers of population trends.
Quantifiable outcome
- MAPS program provides vital rate estimates for 158+ species of North American landbirds
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Institute for Bird Populations
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Institute for Bird Populations technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Institute for Bird Populations partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- National Park ServicecoreOngoing collaboration for bird monitoring in National Parks including Yosemite, Sierra Nevada Network parks, and North Coast and Cascades Network parks. IBP provides standardized bird monitoring protocols and data analysis for park management.
- U.S. Forest ServicecoreCollaboration on bird monitoring and forest management research, including studies on fire effects, Black-backed Woodpecker habitat, and forest health across national forests.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicecorePartnership on bird conservation initiatives, including the Bird Banding Laboratory data collaboration and migratory bird research programs.
- American Ornithological Society (AOS)coreIBP's alpha codes are aligned with AOS taxonomy and nomenclature. IBP updates species codes annually following AOS checklist supplements.
- Various UniversitiesmajorCollaborative research with universities including Stanford, UC Davis, UCLA, and others on bird population studies, migration ecology, and conservation biology.
- Slate Creek PressminorPublisher and distributor of Peter Pyle's Identification Guide to North American Birds books developed in part through IBP research.
- International Bird Banding AssociationscorePartnership with the North American Bird Bander journal and other banding organizations for publishing standardized bird aging and banding methodology.
- Conservation OrganizationsmajorCollaborations with organizations including Audubon Society, California Partners in Flight, Point Blue Conservation Science, and other NGOs on bird monitoring and conservation programs.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Institute for Bird Populations competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Birds Canada: Canada's leading bird conservation science organization, operating comparable long-term banding and demographic monitoring programs north of IBP's primary range. Strong methodological overlap with MAPS.
Direct peers
- Point Blue Conservation Science: Formerly PRBO, Point Blue operates long-running bird monitoring and ecological research programs across the Pacific Americas, directly comparable to IBP's MAPS and regional science programs. Both are nonprofit science shops working with federal land management agencies on standardized avian monitoring.
- Klamath Bird Observatory: Pacific Northwest-based nonprofit running long-term constant-effort mist-netting stations under the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship framework. Closely aligned with IBP in scale, methodology, and funder base.
- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies: Operates the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions program, a continent-scale bird banding effort directly comparable to MAPS. Same nonprofit-conservation model, federal-agency partnerships, and standardized mist-netting methodology.
Broad incumbents
- National Audubon Society: Large national bird conservation organization with parallel scientific, advocacy, and habitat programs. Overlaps with IBP in avian conservation research and citizen-science-based monitoring, though at a much larger scale.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Larger, broader avian research and citizen-science powerhouse (eBird, Birds of the World). Cornell Lab overlaps with IBP in demographic monitoring and species data, but operates at vastly greater scale across all bird taxa and geographies.
- USGS Bird Banding Laboratory: Federal agency that maintains the master North American bird banding database and issues banding permits. IBP directly collaborates with the BBL, and the two are co-dependent infrastructure providers for avian research.
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center: Research arm of the Smithsonian focused on migratory bird demography and full-life-cycle conservation. Shares IBP's emphasis on demographic drivers and Neotropical migrant research, with much larger institutional backing.
Others
- American Ornithological Society: Scientific society that maintains the AOS Checklist and taxonomy on which IBP's standardized alpha codes are based. Not a direct competitor but a tightly coupled standards-setting partner.
- NatureServe: Nonprofit that aggregates species-level ecological and conservation status data across North America. Adjacent to IBP's vital rates dataset in function and customer base, serving overlapping government and conservation users.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Institute for Bird Populations social profiles
Digital presenceThe Institute for Bird Populations financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Institute for Bird Populations leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Institute for Bird Populations funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Institute for Bird Populations M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The Institute for Bird Populations
What does The Institute for Bird Populations do?
The Institute for Bird Populations is a nonprofit research organization that conducts standardized bird population monitoring and demographic research through programs such as MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) and MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal). It produces demographic data, vital rates analysis, and standardized bird species alpha codes used by conservation agencies, universities, and NGOs to inform science-based conservation of bird species and habitats across the Americas.
Is The Institute for Bird Populations a public or private company?
The Institute for Bird Populations is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Institute for Bird Populations founded?
The Institute for Bird Populations was founded in 1989. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Institute for Bird Populations based?
The Institute for Bird Populations is headquartered in Petaluma, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Institute for Bird Populations's main competitors?
Birds Canada is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Point Blue Conservation Science, Klamath Bird Observatory and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. Broad incumbents are National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, USGS Bird Banding Laboratory and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Others are American Ornithological Society and NatureServe.
Does The Institute for Bird Populations have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Institute for Bird Populations.
What industry is The Institute for Bird Populations in?
The Institute for Bird Populations's product category is Wildlife Conservation Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAHAH, Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry).