Journal profile · Ornithology
Journal of Field Ornithology
ISSN 0273-8570 · eISSN 1557-9263 · Wiley-Blackwell · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1980
Journal of Field Ornithology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.04; fully open access; APC about USD 1,250; review about 3 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 30 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Field Ornithology is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Avian ecology and behavior, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Animal Behavior and Reproduction, together about 50.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
On behalf of the Association of Field Ornithologists, Journal of Field Ornithology publishes original articles that emphasize the descriptive or experimental study of birds in their natural habitats. Articles depicting general techniques, emphasizing conservation, describing life history, or assessing published studies or existing ideas are appropriate. The Journal publishes studies from throughout the world, which may include banded birds or populations. We actively encourage submissions from nonprofessional ornithologists and from ornithologists from groups underrepresented in the sciences.Over the last decade, the Journal of Field Ornithology has consistently ranked in the top ten for impact factor among ornithological journals. As an online, open-access journal, we offer rapid progression through the peer-review process and early views on our website after acceptance.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ornithology
Editor-in-chief Rafael Rueda-HernándezPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Argentina 5, Canada 4, United States 1, Finland 1, Mexico 1 (15 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science29.4%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science12.1%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.2%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science6.4%
- Rangeland and Wildlife ManagementEnvironmental Science5.7%
- Bird parasitology and diseasesImmunology and Microbiology4.8%
- Animal Vocal Communication and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ornithology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ornithology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ornithology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.04LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 740OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.27OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 97.62%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 30LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,534 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 | 31 | 3 |
| 2025 | 30 | 30 | 25 |
| 2024 | 45 | 45 | 107 |
| 2023 | 52 | 52 | 167 |
| 2022 | 44 | 44 | 2,597 |
| 2021 | 40 | 8 | 234 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 21 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,250 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,000 / EUR 2,500 / GBP 2,000 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,450 / USD 1,250 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Reference style
- Harvard
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- Authorship Authorship of Paper
Authors include all those who have made significant contributions to the manuscript. The types of contributions can be very diverse and include: conceiving and undertaking research, contributing embodied knowledge, operationalizing actions toward more sustainable pathways, co-producing knowledge and solutions, analyzing data, writing, or revising the manuscript. The corresponding author will verif…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials in submitted manuscripts must not be used by the editor in their own research without the written consent of the author.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Permission to Use Copyright Protected Material
If, in your submission, you include any material created or published by someone else you must get permission from the copyright holder. Most publishers have their own forms. Once you have received permission from the copyright holder please send a copy to jrnls@resalliance.org (include your manuscript number in the subject line). If there is a fee involved please also send a copy of your receipt …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
This journal provides open access to all of its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Such access is associated with increased readership and increased citation of an author’s work. See below for additional policy information.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
During the peer review process, the Editor-in-Chief makes an initial appraisal of each manuscript. If the topic and treatment seem potentially appropriate for the journal, the manuscript is assigned to a subject editor who oversees the review process. Once the review process has been completed, the subject editor recommends acceptance, revision, or rejection of your manuscript. The final decision …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Originality and Plagiarism
The authors must ensure they submit entirely original works. If the authors use the work or words of others in their manuscript, they must ensure that this has been appropriately cited, quoted, or where necessary, appropriate permissions have been obtained from copyright holders.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1980
- ISSN
- 0273-8570
- Electronic ISSN
- 1557-9263
- Society / sponsor
- Association of Field Ornithologists
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Field Ornithology
What CAS zone is Journal of Field Ornithology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Field Ornithology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ornithology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Field Ornithology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.04; CiteScore 1.6, h-index 66.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Field Ornithology?
Authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Field Ornithology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Reference style: Harvard; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Field Ornithology based?
Of the 15 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Argentina (5), Canada (4) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Field Ornithology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Field Ornithology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Field Ornithology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Field Ornithology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,250.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .