eBird

eBird is a citizen-science platform run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that lets birdwatchers around the world log what birds they see and where. Launched in 2002, it has grown into one of the largest biodiversity data projects on Earth, with contributors submitting more than 2 billion bird sightings and over 3 million audio recordings by August 2025.

How eBird collects its data

Anyone can create a free eBird account and submit a checklist of the birds they observed at a specific time and place, whether that is a backyard feeder or a remote wetland. Each checklist feeds into a shared global database that scientists, land managers, and other birders can query. Volunteer and paid reviewers check unusual or rare-species reports before they are accepted, which helps keep the data reliable despite being crowdsourced.

Scale and reach of the project

By 2025, eBird had collected more than 150 million checklists submitted by over a million registered users across 99 languages. The platform covers virtually every country, and its companion app, Merlin Bird ID, uses the same underlying data along with photo and sound recognition to help people identify birds they encounter in the field.

What the data is used for

Researchers use eBird records to track migration timing, map species ranges, and detect population declines years before they would otherwise be noticed. Conservation groups and government agencies draw on the database when deciding where to protect habitat, and the Cornell Lab publishes real-time visualizations, such as animated migration maps, built directly from the submitted checklists.

Why eBird matters to science

Traditional ornithological surveys could only cover a tiny fraction of the globe. The eBird crowdsourced model multiplies that coverage by orders of magnitude, turning hobbyist observation into one of the largest standing datasets in ecology. It has become a model that other citizen-science projects, from iNaturalist to community weather networks, have tried to replicate.

FAQs

Is eBird free to use? Yes, eBird is free for anyone to use, both for submitting sightings and for browsing or downloading the data.

Who runs eBird? eBird is a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University, launched in 2002.

How many bird sightings has eBird collected? As of August 2025, contributors had logged more than 2 billion bird observations and over 3 million sound recordings.

What is the difference between eBird and Merlin Bird ID? eBird is the data-logging and checklist platform, while Merlin Bird ID is a companion app built on the same database that helps identify birds from photos, sounds, or a short description.

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 9, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue