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The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) rallies citizen scientists globally for four days each February. This free and easy event invites bird watchers of all levels to count birds, creating a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Join the effort to help researchers understand and protect the world’s diverse avian species.
Want to sponsor Great Backyard Bird Count? Learn how
History of Great Backyard Bird Count
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a fun and exciting event that everyone can take part in. In 1998 this was started as the first online citizen-science project by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.
Over time, it has grown in popularity and reach across the world and is now the world’s largest “biodiversity-related citizen science project”. Each year the Great Backyard Bird Count participation grows as people of all ages across the globe show interest to spend their weekend counting, learning, and appreciating the significance of birds.
The goal of this project is pretty simple: each February, for four consecutive days, you need to spend time in your favorite places — may it be your local park, a scenic garden, or your porch or lounge window. You watch and count as many birds as you can find and report them to birdcount.org. All the observations that you — and thousands of others like you across the world — submit, will help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
In these largely unsettled times, the Great Backyard Bird Count event reminds us that there are thousands of people around the world who are united in their love for watching birds. So, join thousands of people around the world in this fun and meaningful event.
Great Backyard Bird Count timeline
The Great Backyard Bird Count event is launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.
The Great Backyard Bird Count becomes a global project.
A redesigned website is launched to make the count easy, clear, and inspiring.
A record 379,736 global participants added 151, 393 photos to Macaulay Library in 2021.
Great Backyard Bird Count FAQs
When is the Great Backyard Bird Count?
The Great Backyard Bird Count 2026 runs from Friday, February 13, through Monday, February 16. This four-day event invites bird enthusiasts worldwide to contribute their observations.
How many bird species are typically counted during the GBBC?
During the Great Backyard Bird Count, participants typically report sightings of hundreds of different bird species. The 2025 count saw over 7,500 species identified globally, showcasing immense avian diversity.
How many people participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count?
The Great Backyard Bird Count attracts hundreds of thousands of participants globally each year. In 2025, over 500,000 people from more than 200 countries contributed their observations, making it a truly massive citizen science effort.
What is the purpose of the Great Backyard Bird Count?
The Great Backyard Bird Count serves to gather crucial data on bird populations across the globe. By collecting observations from citizen scientists, researchers can track changes in bird distribution, abundance, and migration patterns, which are vital for conservation efforts.
Great Backyard Bird Count Activities
Look up and count birds
The best part about GBBC is that you can celebrate it even in your backyard. All you need to do is to look up, enjoy the atmosphere and count!
Organize a community event
You can organize an event in your locality or community, and educate others about the significance of birds in this world, and of course, celebrate GBCC. You could inspire children and the youth to participate and present it as a type of birding treasure hunt.
Build a bird feeder
You can build a bird feeder on your porch or garden that provides food, water, and shelter for birds. This will provide you with hours of feathery pleasure and draw all sorts of birds to your garden.
5 Interesting Facts About Birds
40 is the magic number
Although there are hundreds of birds, they are all sorted into 40 categories or types.
Penguins have feathers
Contrary to popular opinion, penguins have feathers that keep them warm in cold conditions.
Many birds can mimic humans.
Not only parrots, but hundreds of birds out there, including crows and ravens, mimic humans and other sounds.
Beating up a storm
Studies reveal that a bird’s heart beats 400 times per minute while resting and up to 1,000 beats per minute while flying.
A relative of T-rex
The closest living relative of Tyrannosaurus Rex is not crocodiles or rhinos — it’s the chicken.
Why We Love Great Backyard Bird Count
It’s a meaningful event
The Great Backyard Bird Count is not any normal event where people just talk and write about birds, it’s a meaningful event where people count birds and help create a snapshot of where birds are. The results are scientifically recorded and help determine patterns of migration and numbers of birds in regions.
Birds are fascinating
Birds, in essence, are fascinating creatures. From the smallest hummingbird to the ostrich, man has always been entranced by them.
Birds shape the world around us
Birds are crucial for maintaining balance in the ecosystem. They control pests, move seeds and pollen around, and transfer nutrients across the land. This GBBC is a great way to celebrate these important creatures.
