Stavanger Museum has been the national centre for scientific bird ringing in Norway since 1987. Before that, it was one of two such centres. Naturally this fact has affected the focus of the Department’s research activity. In co-operation with the Natural History Museums and the Botanical Gardens of the University of Oslo and Lillehammer University College, the results of ring-marking in Norway have been published in book form as "Norsk Ringmerkings Atlas" (Norwegian Bird Ringing Atlas – some text in English). Volume 1 was published in 2003, and the final volume will be published in 2005.

Long-term projects are carried out at the Department’s Bird Observatory at Reve in the municipality of Klepp with the following objectives:

• Collection of information about changes in bird species
• Biometry of selected species
• Recording of Migration Patterns