Description
Location: Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society
Open Period: September 14 - October 30th, 2026
Duration: Sessions may be 2 to 5 weeks, with 4 weeks recommended
Hours per Week: 35 – 40
Cost: $389USD/Week
Description:
The Toucan Ridge Bird Observatory, located at the T.R.E.E.S Research Center in the Maya Mountains of Belize, currently has apprenticeship spots open for our Bird Banding Apprenticeship Program. This internship focuses primarily on how to set-up mist-nets, extract passerine birds from mist-nets, learn proper bird banding techniques, learn how to I.D., age and sex tropical resident birds as well as Neotropical migrants, learn proper data entry, and more.
Interns will also learn how to conduct bird transect surveys, point counts, nest searching, and other wildlife sampling techniques. As bird banding is usually done in the morning, there are also smaller side projects to do in the afternoon. There are opportunities to work on different community development projects and farming projects (fruit orchard, livestock, composting etc.).
The internship program is designed to provide an opportunity for the intern to become familiar with various research protocols used in different projects. This diversity will enable the intern to develop a holistic understanding of research methodologies, thereby fostering versatility in the application of these protocols. With interns partaking in data entry after each session in the field for all research projects carried out by them, it highlights the importance of proper data collection in the field and how crucial database management is. Participating in all of these factors into proper training for successful careers in the field of ornithology.
Internship Responsibilities:
- Set up mist-nets under the guidance of trained field staff and biologists.
- Extract birds from nets under professional supervision and process the birds at the station to collect data.
- Assist in data collection in the field during the banding session.
- After each banding session, the intern will need to wash cotton bird bags for the next banding session.
- Learn to enter data in a systematic manner after each banding session.
- Maintaining and updating the database in Microsoft Excel.
- Band inventory will need to be done once a week.
- Replenish and clean hummingbird feeders.
- For other avian projects the intern may work throughout the day at regular business hours.
- Interns will assist with creating captions for social media posts to engage and update followers on what has been going on at the banding station and provide updates of various projects.
- Assist in repairing mist-nets damaged by birds during the banding season.
Costs:
The internship fee includes room and board (meals included Monday-Friday), full access to lab equipment, and training by professional on-site biologists. Food is a combination of self-catering in a communal kitchen with ingredients provided as well as prepared meals. Lodging at the research center signifies a shared dormitory-style rustic cabins with other same sex interns with full access to other facilities such as showers, restrooms, and kitchen.
We are hoping to expand our internship program beyond North America. Citizens from Latin America and the Caribbean will be charged at a discounted rate of 50%. Belizeans will get another discount. For more information, kindly email Scandia Cruz with the email provided above.
Schedule:
Banding runs every weekday Monday through Friday, from 5:30 am until 11:00 am. Weekends are free time for interns; therefore, you can do as you please (travel, hike, relax). No refunds on food and lodging will be available if the apprentice decides to leave the station. The intern supervisor(s) will be responsible for designing a schedule with the intern each week that is reasonable and includes work on the various projects.
Apply:
For more information on our organization and facilities please visit our website: www.treesociety.org. To apply, please visit ecorana.ca/apply. For any questions, please contact jmartinez@treesociety.org.
Requirements
Requirements:
We seek individuals with interests in birds and wildlife ecology is strongly preferred. While prior experience in bird banding is not mandatory, candidates who have previous exposure to bird banding or who express a desire to gain more experience in this field will be given preference. This internship is perfect for budding biologists/ecologists and for birders of any level that wish to pursue a career or education in the field. The internship is meant as a resume and skill builder to help interns get experience in the field.
Persons must have the ability to work well in groups as they will be working closely with field staff and other interns. Interns must also be able to follow protocol and pay attention to detail when collecting and entering data to maintain the integrity of long-term dataset.
