Bird Banding Permits Get a Paperwork Makeover: Comment Now!
Published Date: 4/8/2026
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Geological Survey is updating its bird banding and marking permit application to make it easier and clearer for people who study birds. If you apply for these permits, you’ll want to check out the changes and share your thoughts by June 8, 2026. These updates aim to reduce paperwork without adding extra costs or delays.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Application Simplified; Privacy Protections
The USGS revised the Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application to reduce paperwork and improve privacy. The form removes personal physical details (Height, Weight, Hair Color, Eye Color), consolidates home and business addresses into one address, changes “Gender” to “Sex” with an “undisclosed” option, and replaces pre-selected species and capture technique lists with free-entry fields.
New Applicant Type and Permit Options
The form adds an Applicant Type field with options including Federal, State, Tribal, Local Government, Non-governmental Organization, University, Avocational Biologist, Business, and Other. The Type of Permit choices were changed: the outdated “Renewal Permit” option was removed (renewals go through the Bander Portal), and options for “Master Station,” “Master Personal,” and “Change in Responsible Individual” were added.
New Documentation and Sampling Sections
The application now asks whether a Comprehensive Project Description and a Banding Resume are included (yes/no). A new Biological Sampling section was added to allow requests for other types of biological sampling as part of banding or marking. Species, techniques, purposes, and applicant qualifications for sampling must be provided in the Comprehensive Project Description or banding resume rather than repeated elsewhere on the form.
References: Three Letters Required
Applicants must have three letters of recommendation received by the Bird Banding Laboratory before any application will be considered, with at least two references coming from a bird bander who has worked directly with the applicant. Applicants no longer need to provide names, emails, or addresses for references on the application form.
FOIA Section Added for Confidential Info
A new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) section was added to let applicants identify information they consider privileged or confidential business information; this section is informational and does not require additional input or effort from the applicant.
Estimated Burden and Comment Deadline
USGS estimates 80 annual respondents and 80 annual responses, with each response taking up to 30 minutes and a total estimated annual burden of 40 hours. The agency identified no annual non-hour cost burdens. Comments on these revisions are invited on or before June 8, 2026.
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