New edition of the Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research now available

[Laura Bies]

The Ornithological Council has released a new edition of its foundational publication, the Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research. The 4th edition incorporates text from the 3rd edition (published in 2010) with lists of new references published since that edition’s release.

The Guidelines provides an in-depth guide to the animal welfare considerations when performing research involving wild birds, including ethical considerations and the legal framework that must be followed by researchers. Topics include: investigator impact generally, collecting and trapping, marking, transport, housing and captive breeding, minor and major manipulative procedures, and euthanasia.

First published in 1988, by the Wilson Ornithological Society, the Cooper Ornithological Society, and the American Ornithologists' Union - with encouragement and financing from the National Science Foundation - the Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research was later revised in 1997, 1999, and 2010. 

This new edition was made possible by the contributions of several individuals who conducted literature searches for each chapter and compiled lists of new references. Chapter reference lists were provided by Kayla Martin (Chapter 2), Laura Bies (Chapters 4, 5, and 8), Ian Ausprey (Chapter 3), Jeanne Fair and Alicia Romero (Chapter 6), Lisa Tell and Emily Graves (Chapter 7), and Rick Spaulding and Émile Brisson Curadeau (Drone Supplement). The text remains that from the 3rd edition, skillfully written and compiled by Anne Barrett Clark, Clara Davie, Jeanne Fair, Jason Jones, Gary Kaiser and Ellen Paul.

You can download a PDF of the Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research here.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.  The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!