Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council Spring 2024 Meeting Notice

The AMBCC Spring 2024 meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, April 17-18, 2024. View the meeting notice here. Please contact Patty Schwalenberg, Executive Director, AMBCC with questions.

Announcing Prospectus and Request Proposals for Big Game Guiding Special Use Permits

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System announces the release of Request for Proposals and Prospectus for a commercial big game guiding permit within the Alaska Maritime, Arctic, Becharof,  Kenai, Koyukuk, Nowitna, and Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuges, for permit term beginning in 2026. For more information visit Announcing Prospectus and Request Proposals for Big Game Guiding Special Use Permits

Alaska is home to more than 470 species of birds. Most are migratory birds for which the Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible under international treaties and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. While some of the birds stay in Alaska year-round, most migrate to Canada, Central America, South America, Asia, or the lower 48 United States. In fact, birds from Alaska pass through virtually every other state (even Hawaii) on the way to and from their nesting and wintering grounds! To help conserve migratory birds for future generations, we work with others to study, manage, and learn more about these amazing globetrotters and avian superheroes.

What We Do

We work to conserve and manage migratory birds by:

  • Monitoring population distribution and abundance
  • Identifying important breeding, brood-rearing, staging, and wintering habitats
  • Banding and marking birds to determine migration patterns, mortality, longevity and habitat use
  • Determining effects of catastrophic events such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
  • Working with Alaska Natives and the State of Alaska to co-manage the spring/summer subsistence harvest of migratory birds.
  • Maintaining databases and providing these, as well as other technical assistance, to other agencies, land managers and private organizations.
  • Helping administer conservation grant programs that distribute funds to the State of Alaska and Alaskan tribes from Congressional appropriations or excise taxes on hunting equipment
  • Identifying and protecting important bird habitats through implementation of conservation plans
  • Reviewing and issuing permits for activities involving migratory birds including scientific collecting and other educational uses
  • Educating the public about migratory birds

Our Organization

The Migratory Bird Management program is comprised of several sections that specialize in different groups of birds.

We work closely with partners along different flyways and with our tribal partners to coordinate conservation and management efforts.  We also participate in outreach and education programs and bird festivals to raise awareness about birds and the challenges they face. 

Our Species

If it has feathers and wings, we likely count it, study it, and manage it!

Rufa red knot feeding along with other shorebirds

Red Knots are large, bulky sandpipers. They are relatively short, with a straight bill tapering to the tip. The bill, as well as wings, is slightly longer in females. Female breeding plumage has light-colored feathers amongst the belly and less distinct eyeline. However, sexes appear similar in...

FWS Focus
Aleutian tern on kelp in the water

dentification Tips: Length: 13 inches Sexes similar Dives into water for prey Medium-sized tern with short, slender, pointed bill Long, deeply forked tail Smoothly rounded head without crest Mostly pale underwing with dark bar on secondaries Gray mantle Adult alternate: Black legs Black bill...

FWS Focus
Black and white bird and yellow bill on the water

The yellow-billed loon is a migratory bird. Solitary pairs breed on lakes in the arctic tundra of the United States, Russia, and Canada from June to September. During the remainder of the year the species winters in more southern coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Norway and North Seas...

FWS Focus

Projects and Research

Our research and projects focus on efforts that will lead to conservation actions for migratory birds for the continuing benefit and enjoyment of the American public.

Our Library

Learn more about what we do through our project, stories, and publications library.

Location and Contact Information