Contribute Samples
The Bird Genoscape Project is a highly collaborative, multi-year project that relies on the participation and contributions of avian biologists and bird banders from across the Western Hemisphere.
What We Need
Feathers: We welcome feathers from any migratory or resident species, collected at any time of the year, including during migration. However, if you would like to prioritize your local efforts, species we are building or gearing up to build genoscapes for are outlined in our annual feather sampling protocol linked below. This protocol also contains important information about how to collect, store, and ship feather samples to us.
If you are interested in learning more about contributing to the BGP in general, please email Amanda Carpenter with your inquiry; feather sample envelopes can be provided!
Click the following link to download our feather sampling protocol:
2024 Priority Species & Feather Sampling Protocol
*Blood: For those that have additional permissions to collect blood from birds and are interested in contributing such samples to the Bird Genoscape Project, please email Amanda Carpenter for our current blood sampling protocol.
How to Send Your Samples
If you are ready to send us feather or *blood samples, please email Amanda Carpenter with the following details:
1. It is immensely helpful if shipments and metadata are organized by species/alpha code.
2. An electronic copy of your metadata is highly preferred and at a minimum contains the following information: band number or alternate ID, date of collection, species, sample type (feather and/or blood), country, state, nearest town, latitude (mandatory), and longitude (mandatory).
3. Hard copies of all applicable collecting permits are required! Copies of all applicable permits are required. Electronic copies should be sent via email and paper copies must be included with the shipment.
4. For international collections/shipments, contributors should view our FAQ page for more details and then get in touch with Amanda Carpenter before shipping anything!
5. It is far easier for us to send you a prepaid shipping label than to generate reimbursements. If you’d like us to send you a prepaid shipping label, please email us with:
- Your return address
- Package dimensions and approximate weight
- Preferred carrier (e.g. UPS, USPS, FedEx)
6. All shipments should be sent to:
ATTN: Amanda Carpenter
Colorado State University, Biology
200 W. Lake St.
Campus Delivery 1878
Fort Collins, CO 80523