Vogeltrekstation

Name

Vogeltrekstation

Legal name

Vogeltrekstation

Website

https://vogeltrekstation.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vogeltrekstation is the Dutch national bird ringing coordination centre, a NIOO-KNAW and Ringersvereniging collaboration that issues ringing permits, manages the GRIEL database of 16+ million records, and serves 500+ certified volunteer ringers conducting research across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wageningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of bird rings, mistnets, ring pliers, measurement instruments, books, and related equipment to authorized ringers. Products are only available to those with valid ringing authorization, verified through GRIEL.
2. Annual License Fees: Annual fees for ringing authorization: 63 euros per year for volunteer ringers, 249 euros for institute ringing authorizations.
3. Aspirant Fees: Fees for aspiring ringer declarations and certification.
4. Donations: Donations for Vogeltrekatlas development, with donors receiving set of five postcards. Species adoption available for 100 euros or more donations.
5. Certification Fees: Fees for attending certification meetings that extend ringing authorization by 3-5 years for practical sessions or 1 year for theory sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Vogeltrekstation is the Dutch national bird ringing center that issues individual ringing authorizations under a framework permit from the Ministry of LVVN, coordinates a network of 500+ certified ringers, and manages the GRIEL database containing 16+ million historical bird ringing records. It operates the public Vogeltrekatlas visualization platform, runs standardized research projects (CES, RAS, Boerenzwaluw, NESTKAST, Pullen, Zoonose), and sells specialized ringing equipment (metal rings, mistnets, pliers, measurement tools, reference books) exclusively to authorized ringers through its Shopify webshop.

Product overview

Vogeltrekstation is a Dutch bird ringing and migration research center — a partnership between NIOO-KNAW and the Ringersvereniging — that operates as both a regulatory body and a product/service organization. Its core offering consists of administering the Dutch bird ringing permit system (ringmachtiging) and managing the GRIEL database, which stores over 16 million records of ringed and recaptured Dutch birds. This database powers the public Vogeltrekatlas online visualization platform. Vogeltrekstation also operates a Shopify-based webshop selling specialized ornithological products exclusively to authorized ringers, including metal bird rings (aluminium and stainless steel), mist nets, ring pliers, Pesola measurement tools, calipers, and ornithological reference books. The organization runs multiple standardized ringing research projects (CES, RAS, Boerenzwaluw, NESTKAST, Pullen, Ring-MUS, Zoönose) under the CAPS network, and issues ringing permits to trained ringers for a fee. Its youngest product is the data-integration pipeline between Submit, Griel, Geese.org, and the BirdRing-app, enabling automated flow of recapture observations into the national database.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vogeltrekatlas: An online atlas visualizing all Dutch bird ringing data, showing migration patterns, distribution, and ringing/recovery information for bird species.
• GRIEL

Products and services

• GRIEL Database Primary database and web application used by over 500 authorized Dutch ringers to input, manage, and retrieve bird ringing and recapture records. Stores the national archive of Dutch bird ringing data, including ring records, recapture reports, and individual ringing authorizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000 birds ringed annually by 500+ certified ringers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• STONE (Steenuilenoverleg Nederland)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2024Collaborates on little owl (steenuil) research and certification. Organized joint certification meeting for little owl ringers on March 30, 2024 in Culemborg.
• SubmitmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2024Data exchange platform for bird observations. In March 2024, Sovon and Vogeltrekstation exchanged data between Submit and Griel, importing all recovery records of Dutch rings into Griel database.
• NIOO-KNAW (Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVogeltrekstation is a collaboration between NIOO-KNAW and the Ringersvereniging. NIOO-KNAW is one of 16 research institutes of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). Vogeltrekstation is organizationally part of NIOO-KNAW located in Wageningen.
• RingersverenigingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ringersvereniging (Ringers Association) represents the interests of volunteer ringers in Netherlands. Founded in 1990, it shapes the policy of Vogeltrekstation together with NIOO-KNAW. Organizes certification days and maintains the ringing community.
• EURING (European Union for Bird Ringing)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEURING is the coordinating body for all European bird ringing centers. Vogeltrekstation plays important role in EURING's founding and hosts EURING Databank. Standardizes data collection and exchange across Europe.
• CAPS (Centre for Avian Population Studies)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork and knowledge center for bird population research. Partnership between NIOO Animal Ecology department, Vogeltrekstation, Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland, Radboud University, and Vogelbescherming Nederland.
• Sovon Vogelonderzoek NederlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch bird research organization. Data exchange partnership with Submit system. Joint work on goose observations through geese.org. Collaborated on data synchronization between Submit and GRIEL in March 2024.
• geese.orgmajorTechnology or IntegrationPlatform for reporting observations of color-ringed geese and swans. Managed jointly by Wageningen Environmental Research, Sovon, and Vogeltrekstation NIOO-KNAW. All geese.org data being transferred to Submit and Griel.
• One Health PACTmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research consortium for One Health surveillance. NIOO-KNAW and Vogeltrekstation participate in zoonosis surveillance, including West Nile virus monitoring in wild birds. Collaboration with Erasmus MC and RIVM.
• NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partnership - the Stichting Vogeltrekstation was originally housed at the Zoological Station of the Dutch Zoological Society in Den Helder, predecessor of current NIOZ on Texel.
• BTO (British Trust for Ornithology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2006, the EURING Databank has been housed at BTO. BTO also publishes identification guides sold through Vogeltrekstation webstore.
• Wageningen Environmental ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in geese.org management. Research collaboration on brand goose population studies led by NIOO-KNAW.
• KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIOO-KNAW, where Vogeltrekstation is housed, is one of 16 research institutes of KNAW. KNAW holds ANBI (public benefit organization) status enabling tax-deductible donations.
• Ring Stations Network (VRS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of ringing stations across Netherlands including VRS Hackfort, VRS AWDuinen, VRS Nebularia, VRS de Haar, VRS Westenschouwen, and others conducting standardized ringing operations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ringersvereniging (Dutch Bird Ringers' Association): Founded 1990 to represent Dutch volunteer ringers; co-shapes Vogeltrekstation policy and organizes certification. Direct partner and functional counterpart in the Dutch ringing community, jointly governing Vogeltrekstation's operations.
• USGS Bird Banding Laboratory: US federal bird banding laboratory that administers all bird banding permits in the United States. Direct functional equivalent to Vogeltrekstation's regulatory role, operating the North American Bird Banding database and coordinating with international ringing schemes.
• BTO (British Trust for Ornithology): UK national bird ringing and ornithological research organization, currently hosting the EURING Databank since 2006. Directly comparable as a national ringing scheme operator with similar regulatory authority, scientific publication, and citizen science engagement model.
• Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland: Dutch bird research and monitoring organization that was a former Vogeltrekstation collaboration partner and remains a data exchange partner. Highly comparable in mission (bird population studies), Dutch geographic scope, and partnership with NIOO-KNAW.
• EURING (European Union for Bird Ringing): Coordinating body for all European bird ringing schemes, of which Vogeltrekstation is a founding member. Direct peer in coordinating ringing data exchange and standardization across Europe, with overlapping governance and database management functions.

Others

• NIOO-KNAW (Netherlands Institute of Ecology): Parent organization of Vogeltrekstation and one of 16 KNAW research institutes. Comparable as a Dutch ecological research institution but broader in scope (terrestrial, freshwater, marine ecology) and not a ringing scheme operator.

Broad incumbents

• Max Planck Institute of Ornithology: German-based international research institute focused on bird behavior, ecology, and evolution. Comparable in ornithological research mission and academic standing, but does not operate a national ringing scheme or regulatory permit function.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: US-based global leader in ornithological research and citizen science platforms (eBird, Birds of the World). Comparable as a research/engagement organization in bird science, but operates at much larger scale and without Vogeltrekstation's regulatory-permit function.
• BirdLife International: Global partnership of conservation organizations focused on birds and biodiversity. Adjacent in bird conservation mission and data publication, but operates at global scale through national partner organizations rather than running a ringing scheme.

Regional players

• Vogelbescherming Nederland: Dutch bird conservation organization and CAPS collaboration partner. Comparable in Dutch ornithological mission, ANBI status, and public engagement, but focused on conservation policy and habitat protection rather than ringing data management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Vogeltrekstation
• Instagraminstagram.com/vogeltrekstation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vogeltrekstation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vogeltrekstation