Migratory Birds: Who We Are

	Mature Male Canvasback

What Do We Do?

The USFWS Migratory Birds Program, including the Division of Migratory Birds and the Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, oversees the conservation and management of about 500 species of migratory birds in USFWS Region 3 (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, and WI), with the goals of maintaining and enhancing their populations and habitats and providing people with opportunities to learn about and enjoy them.

Migratory Birds

The Division of Migratory Birds focuses on bird population monitoring; research; outreach and education; technical assistance; small grants administration; hunting regulations development; and permit issuance.  We identify species of concern, including rare, declining, hunted, and superabundant birds that should be the focus of conservation and management actions.

The Division works with other USFWS offices and outside partners to accomplish integrated bird conservation as outlined in the Partners in Flight Landbird Conservation Plan, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, the North American Woodcock Management Plan, and the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan. The Division issues about 10,000 permits annually, which allow the regulated, sustainable take of migratory birds by the public and resource management agencies for biological, educational, and nuisance control purposes.

Bird Habitat Conservation

The Division of Bird Habitat Conservation administers the North American Wetlands Conservation Act Standard Grants and Small Grants Programs, which provide matching grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the Midwest Region. The division also administers the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants Program, which supports public-private partnerships that promote the long-term conservation of Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats, specifically those that spend a portion of their lifecycle in the Midwestern United States and migrate to areas of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Midwest Region Division of Bird Habitat Conservation also coordinates Joint Ventures, collaborative, regionally based partnerships comprising government agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations, tribes and individuals who work to implement bird conservation plans within specific geographic areas or for specific species. The Midwest Region participates in the Upper Mississippi River & Great Lakes Region Joint Venture (UMR/GLR JV) and Prairie Pothole Joint Venture.

The division also supports conservation work conducted under Partners in Flight, U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, and provides staff support for the North American Bird Conservation Initiative.