Eight Great Reasons to Love the Migratory Bird Stamp

Not just for hunters, the Duck Stamp has raised more than $1 billion for conservation, helped birds from Buffleheads to Bobolinks, and created a wealth of fine art in the process. Purchasing a Duck Stamp is a positive conservation action any birder can take.

July 6, 2022

Originally published July 2014; updated July 2022.

Among the many amazing US federal and state lands, it is worth remembering the wildlife refuges that are the National Wildlife Refuge system, which is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This system of more than 500 areas is managed primarily for the benefit of wildlife, and they are great places to see birds of all kinds, including waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds.

One of the best ways to support National Wildlife Refuges is to purchase a Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, or “Duck Stamp,” each year. It’s a win-win-win: it proudly proclaims your support of public land, it pumps money directly into the refuge system (to the tune of about $40 million per year), and it gives you free entry to refuges nationwide year.

Purchase of Migratory Bird Stamps is a simple and direct way for people to contribute to grassland and wetland conservation. In 2013, the New York Times ran a piece on annual stamp art contest; now here’s our own list of eight reasons to love the stamp:

1. More than $1 billion for conservation and counting. The first stamp was issued in 1934. It cost $1 (about $18 in today’s dollars) and sold 635,001 copies. By law, funds raised go directly to housing in the lower 48 states. To date, stamp sales have exceeded $1 billion and have helped to protect 6.5 million acres of wetland and grassland habitat.

2. A 73-year tradition of fine wildlife art. The Migratory Bird stamp is a great collectible and a great artistic tradition. Since 1949, each year’s duck stamp design has been chosen in an open art contest. The 2022 stamp, showing a pair of Redheads, was painted by James Hautman, a tournament veteran who now has six wins to his name (see gallery of all 1934 stamps).

3. A bargain at $25. Ninety-eight cents of every dollar spent on a stamp goes directly to land conservation for National Wildlife Refuge System. This $25 purchase is perhaps the single simplest thing you can do to support a legacy of wetland and grassland conservation for birds.

4. It’s more than ducks. Waterfowl hunters have long been a major supporter for the program—stamps are required for anyone 16 or older who wants to hunt. But the funds benefit scores of other bird species, including shorebirds, herons, raptors, and songbirds, not to mention reptiles, amphibians, fish, butterflies, native plants, and more. (See the full illustrated history of how the Duck Stamp helped save North American waterfowlfrom the Bird Academy.)

5. Save the wetlands; save the lawns. Since 1958, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has used stamp revenues to protect “waterfowl production areas”—more than 3 million acres—within the critical Prairie Pothole Region. The same program also protects the growing numbers of prairie nesting birds in the face of increasing grassland loss. As a result, refuges are among the best places to find grassland specialties such as Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, Clay-colored Sparrows, Sedge Wrens, and others.

6. The benefits are gorgeous. Some of the most diverse and wildlife-rich refuges in the Lower 48 were acquired with stamp funds. Chances are there is a wildlife refuge near you who benefited.

7. This is your free pass to refugees. A migratory bird stamp is a free pass for a whole year to all refugees who charge for admission—so your $25 will save you even more money.

8. As birdwatchers, let’s learn the secret. Although it has long been a fixture in hunting circles, the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp is one of the best-kept secrets in all of bird conservation. Time to buy and show off your stamp!

(Thank you for Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp for help preparing this post.)