KBO’s Internship Program has hosted 283 young professionals and university students from 17 countries as interns in our long-term monitoring and training programming since 1999. 14 of these young scientists have returned in a subsequent year with increased responsibility in field operations and training opportunities. All have returned to their home countries with increased skills and practical experience and are empowered to make significant bird conservation contributions. Many have gone on to earn advanced degrees and are employed in teaching or research positions. Many others are in management positions for conservation organizations. A few have even created new bird observatories in their home countries.

Since 2004, our International Training program has sent KBO biologists and former international banding interns as instructors for techniques workshops and other banding training programs in Belize, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turkey.

Bird and Banders Beyond Borders

Klamath Bird Observatory is well known for its wide international reach, with a focus on partnerships and capacity building across the ranges of our shared birds. KBO’s bird banding internship program has trained over 283 interns from more than 17 countries. The Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa) is a fruit of this capacity-building program, which is now running its own training program in Brazil. As part of the continued partnership between these two observatories, we are pleased to announce a new internship exchange program! After spending time training in their home country, biologists will have the opportunity to visit and train at the other observatory. KBO will host a student from OAMa for three or six months each year, and OAMa will host a student from KBO for up to three months at their field station in Brazil, joining the local crew at the year round bird monitoring on the Mantiqueira Highlands.

If you would like to support this student exchange experience that connects people and birds across borders, you can donate to cover part of the student’s airfare costs or monthly stipend.