Areas of Expertise: Jaguar, Mexican gray wolf, Mexican spotted owl, Southern Rocky Mountains and Sky Islands-Greater Gila focal landscapes, public lands protection, wildlife habitat connectivity, ecosystem restoration and ecosystem services.

Bryan Bird directs Defenders' efforts to protect native wildlife and plants in their natural communities across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Bryan has over 25 years of experience protecting and restoring public lands and conserving biodiversity across the Southwest and northern Mexico. Bryan has expertise in conservation of forests, fire ecology, riparian ecosystems and rare species habitats. He was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel advising the Secretary on funding priorities and restoration of fire-dependent ecosystems. He serves on the Core Team for the 2025 Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico Revision. Bryan has worked to restore jaguar and Mexican gray wolves in the Sky Islands-Greater Gila Bioregion of New Mexico and Arizona for over a decade. He has published reports and peer-reviewed papers on jaguar, golden-cheeked warbler, western wildfire policy and beaver restoration as a tool for climate adaptation and restoration of biodiversity.

Bryan holds a M.S. in Biology from New Mexico State University and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder.