A biologist who studies birds, including their behavior, migration, populations and habitats, for universities, agencies, conservation groups and environmental consultancies. BLS does not publish separate figures for zoologists and wildlife biologists; it counts them within wildlife biologist (SOC 19-1023), whose median pay is $76,780 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 19-1023
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Ornithologist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $76,780a year, or $36.91/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $49KTop 10% $126K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.6%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,40019,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202519.5K
- Projected 203520.2K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 19.5K Projected 2035 20.2K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Avian Biologist, Avian Ecologist, Bird Biologist, Research Ornithologist, Bird Bander.
Pay
How much do Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists make?
Every ornithologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$76,780
Middle half earn $61,180 to $96,100
- 10th
- $49,100
- 25th
- $61,180
- 75th
- $96,100
- 90th
- $126,440
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $49,100 |
| 25th | $61,180 |
| Median | $76,780 |
| 75th | $96,100 |
| 90th | $126,440 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $76,780
- Median hourly wage
- $36.91/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $83,020
- People employed
- 18,120
Versus all US occupations
At $76,780, Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists earn 51% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $25,800 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 7% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $126,440 or more while the bottom 10% earn $49,100, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 53% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Maryland pays the most at $107,500, and still leads at $102,421 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Maryland | $107,500 | $102,421 | 250 |
| 2District of Columbia | $107,050 | $97,406 | 140 |
| 3California | $98,530 | $88,990 | 2,210 |
| 4Alaska | $90,370 | $88,287 | 650 |
| 5Mississippi | $88,710 | $102,021 | 110 |
| 6Louisiana | $87,460 | $99,153 | 50 |
| 7Oregon | $85,150 | $82,381 | 1,010 |
| 8Hawaii | $84,910 | $77,225 | 170 |
| 9Massachusetts | $84,350 | $79,758 | 470 |
| 10Washington | $83,780 | $78,290 | 1,840 |
Job outlook
Is Ornithologist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.6% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | +3.6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists to change 3.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,400 openings are projected each year, 7.2% of the 19,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Ornithologist
A bachelor's degree in biology, wildlife or ecology is the entry point for technician and consulting roles, while research and senior agency positions usually require a master's or PhD. Strong bird identification by sight and sound is essential and is typically built through years of birding and seasonal field jobs.
Many ornithologists start as seasonal field technicians on banding, nest-search or survey crews. The North American Banding Council offers bander certification, and federal bird banding permits come from the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. The American Ornithological Society supports students through meetings, awards and job listings.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does an Ornithologist do?
Ornithologists study birds in the field and the lab. Field work can mean point counts at dawn, mist-netting and banding birds, radio and GPS tracking, nest monitoring, or acoustic surveys that record calls overnight. Data feed questions about why populations are declining, how birds migrate, and how habitat change affects them.
In agencies and consulting firms, ornithologists assess how wind farms, power lines and development affect birds, write survey reports for permits, and design ways to reduce collisions. In universities and museums they study evolution, physiology and behavior, curate specimen collections and teach. Much of the job is data analysis, statistical modeling and writing, alongside the field seasons.
Day-to-day tasks
- Conduct point counts and transect surveys of bird populations
- Capture and band birds with mist nets under federal permit
- Track bird movements with radio, GPS and acoustic tools
- Monitor nests and breeding success
- Assess impacts of wind energy and development on birds
- Analyze population data and write reports and papers
- Curate and study museum specimen collections
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Ornithologists split time between field sites and offices or labs. Field seasons involve early mornings, remote locations, camping, and work in heat, cold or rain, followed by months of data analysis and writing. Employers include universities, museums, state and federal wildlife agencies, nonprofits and environmental consulting firms.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Science4.0
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Monitoring3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Writing | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Science | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Coordination3.8
- Systems Analysis3.4
- Time Management3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Systems Evaluation3.1
- Persuasion3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.4 |
| Time Management | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Ornithologist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRA) built on O*NET's Wildlife Biologist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Ornithologist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative7.0
- Realistic5.7
- Conventional3.7
- Artistic3.4
- Social2.5
- Enterprising2.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Ornithologist
O*NET related occupations
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Protective Service
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with zoologists and wildlife biologists highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Chemist$91,240
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Ornithologist$76,780
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Ornithologist | $76,780 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Ornithologist appears on
Questions
Ornithologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for zoologists and wildlife biologists. It counts them within wildlife biologist, whose median pay is $76,780 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $61,180 and $96,100, and the top 10% earn $126,440 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Ornithologist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation.
Is Ornithologist a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.6% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Ornithologist do?
Ornithologists study birds in the field and the lab. A typical task: conduct point counts and transect surveys of bird populations. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists the most?
The highest state medians for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists are Maryland ($107,500), District of Columbia ($107,050), California ($98,530) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Ornithologist?
O*NET scores Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are INTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.