Wildlife biology technician vs field naturalist

The differences between wildlife biology technicians and field naturalists 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 biology technician and a field naturalist. Additionally, a field naturalist has an average salary of $38,213, which is higher than the $34,231 average annual salary of a wildlife biology technician.

The top three skills for a wildlife biology technician include GPS, wildlife habitat and GIS. The most important skills for a field naturalist are social science, native plants, and .

Wildlife biology technician vs field naturalist overview

	Wildlife Biology Technician	Field Naturalist
Yearly salary	$34,231	$38,213
Hourly rate	$16.46	$18.37
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	6,726	44,776
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Wildlife biology technician vs field naturalist salary

Wildlife biology technicians and field naturalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wildlife Biology Technician	Field Naturalist
Average salary	$34,231	$38,213
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $45,000	Between $22,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wildlife biology technician and field naturalist education

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

	Wildlife Biology Technician	Field Naturalist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common major	Biology	Environmental Science
Most common college	University of Florida	University of California - Davis

Wildlife biology technician vs field naturalist demographics

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

	Wildlife Biology Technician	Field Naturalist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7%	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between wildlife biology technician and field naturalist duties and responsibilities

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.

Field naturalist example responsibilities.

Lead tour groups on both bicycles and kayaks, man small retail/rental outlet as only staff person.
Handle an assortment of animals, such as rats and snakes.
Establish and maintain appropriate systems to monitor, evaluate and report on all operational activities including logistics and program implementation.
Advise area NGOs on policy implications base on preliminary research findings.

Wildlife biology technician vs field naturalist skills

Common wildlife biology technician skills

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

Common field naturalist skills

Social Science, 86%
Native Plants, 14%

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Wildlife Biology Technician
Wildlife Biology Technician vs Field Naturalist

Updated January 8, 2025

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