Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife biologists study animals, populations, habitats, and ecosystems. They collect field data, analyze how wildlife responds to environmental change, and help agencies and organizations make decisions about habitat protection, species recovery, land management, and biodiversity.
What does this career do?
Wildlife biologists study animals, populations, habitats, and ecosystems. They collect field data, analyze how wildlife responds to environmental change, and help agencies and organizations make decisions about habitat protection, species recovery, land management, and biodiversity.
Core tasks
- Survey wildlife populations and document behavior, abundance, movement, or habitat use.
- Collect biological samples, field observations, GPS data, photographs, or acoustic recordings.
- Analyze data and use maps or statistical tools to identify trends.
- Evaluate how development, climate, disease, invasive species, or management actions affect wildlife.
- Write reports and recommend conservation or habitat-management actions.
Monitoring Wildlife & Habitat
- Use field surveys, cameras, tags, acoustic sensors, or other methods to track species and habitat conditions.
- Design monitoring that can show whether a population is stable, declining, recovering, or responding to management.
Supporting Conservation Decisions
- Translate research findings into habitat priorities, recovery actions, land-management recommendations, or impact assessments.
- Collaborate with landowners, agencies, tribes, nonprofits, and communities when conservation depends on many stakeholders.
A Day in This Career
- Prepare field equipment and travel to a survey area early in the day.
- Record wildlife sightings, collect habitat measurements, or check cameras and sensors.
- Enter and clean data after returning from the field.
- Analyze patterns or update a map of habitat and species observations.
- Meet with a conservation team to discuss what the findings mean for management.
Where You Might Work
- Federal and state wildlife agencies
- Universities and research organizations
- Environmental consulting firms
- Conservation nonprofits
- Parks, refuges, and natural-resource organizations
Education & Training
- Biology, wildlife ecology, zoology, environmental science, or natural-resource management are common majors.
- Statistics, GIS, botany, ecology, chemistry, and scientific writing are useful.
- Field internships and experience identifying species, collecting data, and working outdoors are especially valuable.
Skills That Matter
- Field biology
- Species identification
- Statistics
- GIS
- Scientific writing
- Patience and observation
High School Game Plan
- Take biology, environmental science, chemistry, statistics, and geography.
- Join conservation, outdoor, gardening and recycling, or science clubs.
- Volunteer with parks, nature centers, wildlife rehabilitation, bird counts, or citizen-science projects.
- Learn to identify local plants and animals and record observations consistently.
- Explore GIS, photography, coding, or data analysis as tools for wildlife research.
What’s Changing in This Career?
Wildlife research increasingly uses GPS tags, drones, camera traps, acoustic sensors, genetics, and large environmental datasets. Climate change and habitat fragmentation are also increasing the need to understand how species move and adapt.
Could this be a good fit for you?
You do not need to have your whole future figured out. These interests are simply clues that this career may be worth exploring.
Research basis: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists. BLS reports 2024 median pay of $72,860 and projected growth of 2% from 2024 to 2034.