Institute of Bird Populations

The Institute for Bird Populations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded by Dr. David DeSante in 1989 to study the causes of bird population declines. IBP's first major initiative was the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, a continent-wide collaborative network of bird banding stations. Other flagship programs include the Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (MoSI) program to study the ecology of Neotropical migrant birds on their wintering grounds, and the Sierra Nevada Bird Observatory to study and conserve birds in the Sierra Nevada region of California. Our work has spread to other parts of the U.S. and the globe, including Canada, the Neotropics, and Pacific Islands.

We collaborate locally, nationally, and globally with individuals, government agencies, and NGOs in diverse fields to assess the effects of land management actions, climate change, and other ecological stressors on bird populations, and prescribe practical solutions. We use cutting-edge science, and frequently publish results in peer-reviewed journals.