Also called: Bird Bander
Catches wild birds in fine nets, fits them with tiny leg bands, and releases them to track migration.
Opens mist nets before dawn, gently untangles warblers, weighs and measures them, puts on a numbered band, and lets them go—sometimes 100 birds a morning.
Mostly seasonal; estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in biology; federal banding permit training on the job.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Wildlife Biology, Ornithology.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk for 10 years. Untangling birds from nets and banding them is delicate handwork; no robot does it.
Classes: Biology, AP Environmental Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.