Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code IRC

Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.

Also called: Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, Wildlife Biologist, Aquatic Biologist, Fisheries and Wildlife Biological Scientist, Habitat Biologist, Migratory Game Bird Biologist.

O*NET 19-1023.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $76,780; Middle half earn $61,180 to $96,100. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +2% · Slower than average; 18,200 jobs in 2024, projected 18,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Zoologists and wildlife biologists".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs.
Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings.
Conduct literature reviews.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Science4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.7 / 5
English Language4.1 / 5
Geography3.8 / 5
Mathematics3.7 / 5
Law and Government3.7 / 5
Administration and Management3.1 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic74
Investigative100
Artistic22
Social26
Enterprising22
Conventional45

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

zoo curator · DE Zookurator/Zookuratorin · FR conservateur de zoo/conservatrice de zoo
palaeontologist · DE Paläontologe/Paläontologin · FR paléontologue
biologist · DE Biologe/Biologin · FR biologiste
aquaculture biologist · DE Biologe im Bereich Aquakultur/Biologin im Bereich Aquakultur · FR biologiste en aquaculture
fisheries adviser · DE Fischereiberater/Fischereiberaterin · FR conseiller halieutique/conseillère halieutique
aquaculture environmental analyst · DE Umweltanalytiker Aquakultur/Umweltanalytikerin Aquakultur · FR analyste environnement en aquaculture

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Conservation professionals (2151)21,900 employed
Biological scientists (2112)37,800 employed
Leisure and sports managers and proprietors (1224)60,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.32. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-1023).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test