SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide the public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on April 8, 2026 (91 FR 17811). Three comment letters were received including from a Federal Bird Banding and Marking Permit holder, the Ornithological Council (OC), and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). All comment letters support the proposed modifications to the Federal Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application (permit application) and state that the proposed changes are common sense, reduce burden on both the agency and the applicants, and improve clarity. The OC agrees that the information collected by the permit application is necessary for the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory's (BBL) functions, and also supports the change that allows applicants to list the capture methods rather than select from a short list.

Comments were received on the proposed change that allows applicants to include other biological sampling (other than blood or feather sampling). One comment expressed the open-endedness of the biological sampling question may be problematic and that the USGS should be clear in what they may authorize ( e.g., fecal samples, biopsies, etc.) as this could potentially cause confusion with applicants that may also need a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientific collection permit. A similar comment requested the addition of cloacal swabbing as an example of biological sampling. The USGS previously proposed in the 60-day notice for public comment (91 FR 17811) the addition of biological sampling examples ( e.g., mouth and tracheal swabbing) on the permit application for enhanced clarity. No authorization is required from the BBL for cloacal sampling/fecal samples as that is passively collected outside of a bird. The USGS intends to keep this question open to allow for flexibility if new sampling or sampling technologies are developed in the future.

The OC suggested expanding the estimated time of burden to also include development of an online submission system for permit application materials and other permit related processes. The USGS has not changed the estimated burden for the permit application. While there are additional materials required as part of the application process, i.e., a project description and a banding resume, the preparation of those documents is too variable among applicants, and no standard format is required to develop a baseline of estimated time of burden. The USGS agrees with the development of a comprehensive online system for submission of all permit application materials and tracking of application status and will explore this idea through our existing Bander Portal system when funding and capacity allows for such improvements.

The AZGFD also provided additional comments that were program-level recommendations for other aspects of the USGS permitting and unrelated to the proposed modifications to the permit application or information collection.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comments addressing the following:

(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility. ( printed page 54733)

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used.

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of response.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information (PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your PII—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Abstract: Bird banding is a vital scientific and management tool that allows researchers to monitor migratory bird populations, estimate survival and harvest rates, and track long-term ecological trends. Under the authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-12), the U.S. Department of the Interior delegates oversight of the national bird banding program to the USGS. This responsibility resides within the BBL at the Eastern Ecological Science Center, which oversees more than 9,000 federally permitted banders and manages the national database of banding and encounter records. The success of this program depends on effective coordination between permitted banders and individuals who later encounter marked birds, ensuring that critical data remains available for long-term scientific analysis. The data are used by varying interest groups that depend on these data to reach effective management decisions and achieve collaborative outcomes for bird-related challenges.

To meet these requirements, the BBL collects information such as the permit application and other forms. With the proposed revisions to information collection control #1028-0082, the BBL aims to provide essential clarity, enhance efficiency, and eliminate duplication, thereby further reducing the administrative burden for both the public and the USGS. Other forms in control #1028-0082, including the permit renewal form and the bird banding recovery report, remain unchanged.

Current information collection control #1028-0082: In addition to the standardized information required by 50 CFR 13.12, the current permit application requirements include submission of the following information:

(1) Applicant Height, Weight, Hair Color, Eye Color, Gender (Male/Female).

(2) Type of Permit.

(3) Current and previous federal migratory permits possessed, previously possessed, or pending.

(4) If blood sampling is being requested, the master permit holder and permit number of the person requiring permission, species, site of the blood draw or technique, the volume of blood, why blood sampling is needed, how it will be used, and the applicant's qualifications for such blood sampling.

(5) If feather sampling is being requested, the master permit holder and permit number of the person requiring permission, species, what feathers and how many are needed, why is feather sampling needed, how it will be used, and the applicant's qualifications for feather sampling.

(6) Species proposed to band or mark based on groups.

(7) Trapping techniques proposed: mist nets, rocket nets, and cannon nets, or list of other intended techniques.

(8) Auxiliary marking being requested and the master permit holder and permit number of the person requiring permission, species, techniques used, type of marker used, why are aux markers needed, how will they be used, and the applicant's qualifications for feather sampling.

(9) Description of what an applicant hopes to accomplish by banding birds.

(10) References—names, email, addresses in which whom the BBL may consult with regarding an applicant's qualifications.

Proposed revisions to information collection control #1028-0082: In the proposed revisions to information collection control #1028-0082, we removed outdated or irrelevant questions, consolidated several inquiries to strengthen the scientific justification for banding and marking, and eliminated the application checklist to reduce redundant information requests. Specifically, the following revisions are proposed:

(1) Type of Permit. We removed “Renewal Permit” as this is outdated information. Renewals are submitted by permitted banders through the Bander Portal and do not require this form. We added the options, of “Master Station,” “Master Personal,” and “Change in Responsible Individual” to this section. These options were consolidated from other sections to provide clarity to the BBL on the type of permit being requested.

(2) (NEW) Applicant Type. A section on Applicant Type, was added to provide clarity to the BBL and ensure consistency with the program's database. Applicant Types include Federal, State, Tribal, Local Government, Non-governmental Organization, University, Avocational Biologist, Business, and Other.

(3) Personal information such as Height, Weight, Hair Color, Eye Color were removed from the application. This information is irrelevant to BBL permitting.

(4) Gender was modified to Sex and an option for “undisclosed” was added.

(5) Contact Information. We consolidated home and business addresses into one address section. The applicant is now only required to provide one address to the BBL for correspondence and has the option to include an organization, if applicable.

(6) Species. We eliminated the pre-selected species groups and instead allow the applicant to list their proposed species groups or individual species for banding.

(7) Capture techniques. We eliminated the pre-selected techniques and instead allow the applicant to list their proposed capture techniques.

(8) Auxiliary marking. We removed requests for information in this section that were redundant. Species, techniques, and purposes for auxiliary marking are already required as part of the applicant's Comprehensive Project Description as part of the scientific justification for banding and marking. An applicant's skills and qualifications for auxiliary marking are already required as part of their banding resume.

(9) Blood and Feather Sampling. We removed requests for information in this section that were redundant. Species, techniques, and purposes for blood and feather sampling are already required as part of the applicant's Comprehensive Project Description as part of the scientific justification for banding and marking. An applicant's skills and qualifications for blood and feather sampling are already required as part of their banding resume.

(10) (NEW) Biological Sampling. We added a new section that allows an applicant to request other types of biological sampling ( e.g., mouth or tracheal swabbing) that would be completed as part of banding or marking birds. Species, techniques, and purposes for additional biological sampling are ( printed page 54734) now required as part of the applicant's Comprehensive Project Description as part of the scientific justification for banding and marking. An applicant's skills and qualifications for additional biological sampling are now required as part of their banding resume.

(11) Removed section. Description of what an applicant hopes to accomplish by banding birds. We replaced this section with a yes/no option if the applicant has included a Comprehensive Project Description as part of their application package. The Comprehensive Project Description should include all the necessary details for the BBL to properly evaluate a proposal as a scientifically justifiable banding or marking project.

(11) (NEW) Banding Resume. We added a yes/no option if the applicant has included a banding resume as part of their application package and that it should include previous bird banding and marking experiences for the BBL to properly evaluate an applicant's skills and formal training for capturing and banding or marking of birds.

(12) References. We modified the References section to simply state that three letters of recommendation must be received by the BBL before any application is considered and that a minimum of two references should be from a bird bander that has worked directly with the applicant and can confirm their experience and abilities. Applicants no longer need to provide names, emails, addresses as that information is redundant to the information provided by their references who submit letters of recommendation.

(13) (NEW) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This section was added to the permit application to protect applicants that are not covered by the Privacy Act and allow for the identification of any information that should be considered privileged and confidential business information to the USGS to meet its responsibility under FOIA. This section is informational and does not require any additional input or effort from the applicant.

Copies of the draft forms are available to the public by submitting a request to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer using one of the methods identified in ADDRESSES .

In the 60-day notice (91 FR 17811), the USGS included estimated respondents, responses, completion and burden time as revisions were only proposed for the permit application. No changes were proposed for the permit renewal form or the bird banding recovery report. However, all forms under information collection control #1028-0082 expire on February 28, 2027, and for transparency, we have now included the estimated respondents, responses, and completion and burden time for all three forms under information collection control #1028-0082. The permit renewal form and the bird banding recovery report continue to remain unchanged.

Title of Collection: Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application.

OMB Control Number: 1028-0082.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: General public.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 101,429.

—Permit Application: 80.

—Permit Renewal Form: 463.

—Bird Banding Recovery Report: 100,886.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 101,692.

—Permit Application: 80.

—Permit Renewal Form: 463.

—Bird Banding Recovery Report: 101,149.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: minimum of 3 minutes and up to 30 minutes depending on form used.

—Permit Application: up to 30 minutes.

—Permit Renewal Form: 3 minutes.

—Bird Banding Recovery Report: 3 minutes.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 5,121.

—Permit Application: 80 responses/40 hours.

—Permit Renewal: 463 responses/23 hours.

—Recovery Report: 101,149 responses/5,058 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: We have not identified any “non-hour cost” burdens associated with this collection of information.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

91 FR 54732