Wildlife biologist vs wildlife biology technician

The differences between wildlife biologists and wildlife biology technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a wildlife biologist and a wildlife biology technician. Additionally, a wildlife biologist has an average salary of $51,084, which is higher than the $34,231 average annual salary of a wildlife biology technician.

The top three skills for a wildlife biologist include USDA, wildlife species and GIS. The most important skills for a wildlife biology technician are GPS, wildlife habitat, and GIS.

Wildlife biologist vs wildlife biology technician overview

	Wildlife Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Yearly salary	$51,084	$34,231
Hourly rate	$24.56	$16.46
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	5,376	6,726
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Wildlife biologist vs wildlife biology technician salary

Wildlife biologists and wildlife biology technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wildlife Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Average salary	$51,084	$34,231
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $75,000	Between $25,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Idaho National Lab	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between wildlife biologist and wildlife biology technician education

There are a few differences between a wildlife biologist and a wildlife biology technician in terms of educational background:

	Wildlife Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of California - Davis	University of Florida

Wildlife biologist vs wildlife biology technician demographics

Here are the differences between wildlife biologists' and wildlife biology technicians' demographics:

	Wildlife Biologist	Wildlife Biology Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2%	Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 10.3% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between wildlife biologist and wildlife biology technician duties and responsibilities

Wildlife biologist example responsibilities.

Utilize ArcGIS to create navigational maps, as well as uploading, managing and analyzing data for habitat suitability.
Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Perform nuisance wildlife removal for animals such as squirrels, bats, raccoons, opossums, snakes, and skunks.
Complete regulatory compliance and permitting documentation for projects requiring ESA consultations including preparation of biological opinions.
Assist with prescribe burns on DNR land.
Supervise and participate in the annual raptor nest survey.

Wildlife biology technician example responsibilities.

Research new techniques to properly manage invasive species such a common carp.
Survey historic sites for NSO, great gray owl, and northern goshawk according to establish protocols.
Guide crews to remote settings using only map, compass, and GPS to set up NSO call stations.
Measure small land areas for surveying elk and deer populations.
Map vegetation and plant community types on aerial photographs and GIS.
Employ GIS to document the results of monitoring efforts and to make management recommendations.

Wildlife biologist vs wildlife biology technician skills

Common wildlife biologist skills

USDA, 13%
Wildlife Species, 9%
GIS, 7%
Harvest, 6%
GPS, 5%
Natural Resources, 5%

Common wildlife biology technician skills

GPS, 29%
Wildlife Habitat, 21%
GIS, 13%
OWL, 10%
Data Collection, 8%
ATV, 7%

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Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife Biologist vs Wildlife Biology Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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