Nearly half the world's species identified in four days
New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON–Participants from more than 100 countries submitted a record 147, 265 bird checklists for the annual
Great Backyard Bird Count
and broke the previous count record for the number of species
identified. The 5,090 species reported represents nearly half the
possible bird species in the world. The four-day count was held February
13-16, the 18th year for the event which is a joint project of the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the
National Audubon Society with partner
Bird Studies Canada.
The information gathered by tens of thousands of volunteers helps track
the health of bird populations at a scale made possible by using the
eBird online checklist program. A sampling of species found by intrepid counters include
Ibisbill in India,
Bornean Bistlehead in Malaysia, and
Magellanic Plover in Chile, complete with amazing photos. GBBC participants even reported two species,
Millpo Tapaculo and
Santa Marta Screech-Owl that have not yet been described in the official scientific literature.
Bitter Weather
The bitter cold, snowy weather in much of the northeastern United States
and much of Canada was a major factor in this year's count. In much of
the Northeast, Sunday was particularly frigid and windy, and the number
of reports showed an obvious dip as some counters were forced indoors.
As one participant in Quebec noted, watching birds came with a price as
wind chill temperatures rarely topped -20 degrees Celsius (zero degrees
Fahrenheit).
For those who did brave the cold, the GBBC data will help to better
understand the impact of the cold on birds and bird populations. For
example, scientists will be able to compare the abundance of some
so-called “half-hardy” species, such as Carolina Wren and Yellow-rumped
Warbler, to see if this cold winter has affected their populations.
Snowy Owl Echo
Snowy Owls are one of the most charismatic and emblematic birds of
winter. They breed in Arctic regions worldwide and drop south in some
winters ("irrupt"), depending on food supplies and their breeding
success in the previous summer. The winter of 2013-14 was a huge year
for these owls which appeared in amazing numbers across the Great Lakes
states, Northeastern U.S., Atlantic Coast, and southern Canada. GBBC
reports for 2015 also show a surge in Snowy Owl sightings across the
same range, though the frequency of reports is about half of last
winter's. This is a well-known phenomenon with Snowy Owls, with the year
after a very large invasion often being referred to as an “echo
flight.”
Winter Finches
Winter finches—such as Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, redpolls, and
crossbills—are popular among GBBC participants. These birds also
"irrupt" south of their usual haunts depending on food supplies, so
their numbers in a given region may change widely from year to year.
2015 was a banner year for Pine Siskins which are reported on 10.5% of
GBBC checklists so far. Compare that to 1.2% of checklists in 2014 when
most siskins stayed far north in Canada. Siskins will likely be hanging
around through April and May, especially if the feeders are stocked with
their favorite nyjer (thistle) seed.
GBBC Top 10 Lists
Surprisingly, a Eurasian species, the Brambling, appears on the Top 10
list of most reported species for the first time ever. Since November,
some of these birds have been spotted on the West Coast and others
strayed even farther by turning up in Montana, Wyoming, and
Ontario, with one 2015 GBBC record in North America from Washington
state. But the Brambling's appearance among the Top 10 can be traced to
one checklist from Germany reporting a flock estimated at one million
birds. Up to three million Bramblings have been known to gather at that
site.
In North America, California sits atop the leader board with the most
checklists submitted and the greatest number of species, followed by
Pennsylvania and New York. Ontario, Canada, is in the Top 10 for the
second year in a row, nudging past Ohio and Georgia.
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, India was once again a star performer,
nearly doubling the number of checklists submitted to more than 6,800
and reporting the greatest number of species so far with 717.
Top 10 most frequently reported species (number of checklists reporting this species):
| Species |
Number of Checklists |
| Northern Cardinal |
59,083 |
| Dark-eyed Junco |
59,074 |
| Mourning Dove |
48,313 |
| Downy Woodpecker |
45,399 |
| Blue Jay |
41,671 |
| American Goldfinch |
39,880 |
| House Finch |
39,241 |
| Tufted Titmouse |
38,191 |
| Black-capped Chickadee |
36,363 |
| House Sparrow |
34,564 |
* All Top 10 species are North American, reflecting high participation from this region.
Top 10 most numerous species (sum of how many individuals were observed across all checklists):
| Species |
Number of Individuals |
| Snow Goose |
1,494,937 |
| Canada Goose |
1,110,946 |
| Brambling |
1,000,047 |
| European Starling |
630,610 |
| Mallard |
579,330 |
| American Coot |
501,152 |
| American Robin |
488,063 |
| Dark-eyed Junco |
465,939 |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
432,513 |
| American Goldfinch |
364,963 |
* All Top 10 species are North American, reflecting high participation from this region.
Top 10 states/provinces by checklists submitted
| State/Province |
Number of Species |
Number of Checklists |
| California |
376 |
8,453 |
| Pennsylvania |
141 |
7,120 |
| New York |
163 |
6,615 |
| Florida |
309 |
5,478 |
| Texas |
366 |
5,256 |
| Virginia |
180 |
4,672 |
| North Carolina |
201 |
4,497 |
| Ontario |
137 |
4,216 |
| Ohio |
125 |
4,190 |
| Georgia |
200 |
4,017 |
Top 10 countries by checklists submitted
| Country |
Number of Species |
Number of Checklists |
| United States |
671 |
108,396 |
| Canada |
241 |
10,491 |
| India |
717 |
6,810 |
| Australia |
524 |
812 |
| Mexico |
653 |
425 |
| Costa Rica |
559 |
303 |
| Portugal |
197 |
193 |
| New Zealand |
126 |
161 |
| Ecuador |
784 |
138 |
| Honduras |
353 |
133 |
Explore what’s been reported on the
Great Backyard Bird Count website.
See what species are being reported and how many checklists are being
turned in at the county, state/province, and country levels. Check out a
sampling of the photos submitted for
the GBBC photo contest.
The GBBC is made possible in part by sponsor
Wild Birds Unlimited.
