Two pine siskin birds at a feeder.

Pine siskins at a feeder.

Ready, Set … Count! Popular Annual Birding Event Aids Research

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Held each February, the Great Backyard Bird Count unites fans of feathered friends around the world—and you can take part!

By Melissa Newcomb

Whether you’re in the woods, at a city park, near a lake, on a college campus, or simply looking out your window—you’re welcome to join the flock of people around the world who participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count each year.

Held in February (in 2025, it’s the 14th–17th), the four-day event—organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in collaboration with Audubon and Birds Canada—invites volunteers to watch birds and record what they see and hear, immensely enriching the Lab’s trove of data.

Counting birds in ...

It could be—as reported in past years—a northern cardinal in Canada; a southern yellowthroat in Brazil; a steppe eagle in India; a woodland kingfisher in Ghana; or one of hundreds of other species spotted worldwide.

“Birds are fun, striking creatures that we see everywhere,” says project leader Becca Rodomsky-Bish. “This is a way to welcome and connect people who are curious about nature.”

Birds are fun, striking creatures that we see everywhere. This is a way to welcome and connect people who are curious about nature.

Becca Rodomsky-Bish

The Bird Count began in 1998, with around 30,000 participants in the U.S.; back then, sightings were recorded on paper and submitted by mail.

It has since gone online and grown to more than 640,000 people—experienced birders and first-timers alike—reporting from around the globe.

To participate, you need only to observe (or listen to) birds for at least 15 minutes during the four-day period and record your sightings using either the Merlin Bird ID or eBird app.

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A simulation from the 2022 count shows observations coming in from around the world.

Says Rodomsky-Bish: “It’s a relatively low bar for people to engage in a science endeavor that also happens to be really fun.”

In fact, the count is a prime example of “citizen science” (also known as "participatory science")—in which the general public collects data that contributes to research and the advancement of knowledge.

(In 2024 alone, the Lab’s open-access eBird database was cited in nearly 250 academic papers on such topics as migration patterns, population numbers, and the impact of climate change.)

Spotting species such as the ...

Why is the Bird Count held in mid-February? In part, because that’s just prior to a major seasonal migratory period—but also, because it's a time when many residents of colder climates crave the balm of nature.

Says Rodomsky-Bish: “It gives people something fun to do in the winter.”

Top: Two pine siskins at a feeder. (Species photo credits: Pine siskin, Julie Blondeau; pileated woodpecker, Steve Luke; winter wren, James Davis; spruce grouse, Simon Boivin; Townsend's solitaire, Scott Watson; mangrove cuckoo, Scott Young; dark-eyed junco, Rowan Keunen; red-headed woodpecker, Manny Salas; Carolina chickadee, Brad Imhoff; barred owl, Matt Boley; all are courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Macaulay Library.)

(Birder photo credits: India, Himani Singh Khati; Tennessee, Vicki Lucas; Nigeria, Talatu Tende; Alabama, Sophie Skipper; Nicaragua, Perla Esmeralda; Canada, Paula Brown; Hawaii, Michael Carion; Idaho, Liz Paul; Ithaca, John Scully; Virginia, Deborah Humphries; Mexico, April Gaydos; Colombia, Andrea Hinek; Ohio, Alicia-Highland.)

Published January 23, 2025


Comments

  1. Salim Chishti, Class of 1972

    Will be participating from Henrico, Virginia!

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