eBird—Where your observations count

What is eBird?—eBird is an Internet-based bird checklist survey launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, where observations from individual contributors become part of a global bird monitoring network. The result is one of the largest biodiversity information data resources in existence. In 2006 alone over 4.3 million observations were submitted to eBird. It provides incentives to users to participate by providing Internet tools that maintain their personal bird records, and data visualizations (including interactive maps, graphs, bar charts) that relate their observations with a network of like-minded observers. eBird’s rich data resources provide basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and is rapidly becoming the foundation for a better understanding of bird distribution across the western hemisphere and beyond.

How does it work?—eBird gathers evidence for species’ presence or absence, as well as bird counts through checklist data. It does this via a simple and intuitive web-interface used by tens of thousands of participants, which is now available in English, Spanish, and French. A birder simply tells us when, where and how they went birding, and then fills out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing. eBird provides a variety of methodologies for data gathering including point counts, transects, and area searches. All submissions pass through automated data quality filters developed by regional bird experts, before entering the database. Unusual records are then reviewed by local experts. All of this is done in real-time through eBird. EBird is also developing methods for uploading data files directly through their web interface.

Data integration—eBird collects observations from birders through a variety of portals managed and maintained by local conservation and research organizations. By partnering with these organizations, eBird can target local audiences with the highest level of local expertise, promotion, and project ownership. Portals may have a regional focus (aVerAves in Mexico or Puerto Rico eBird) or they may have more specific goals and/or specific methodologies (Louisiana Winter Bird Atlas, Bird Conservation Network-eBird). However, each eBird portal is fully integrated within the eBird database and application infrastructure so that data can be analyzed across political and geographic boundaries. For example, observers entering observations of Cape May Warbler from Puerto Rico or the Bahamas can view those data separately, or in the context of the entire Cape May Warbler dataset gathered by eBird across the western hemisphere.

Data accessibility—While eBird data are stored in a secure facility and archived daily, the data can be made accessible to anyone via applications developed by the global biodiversity information community. For example the majority of eBird data are part of the Avian Knowledge Network (AKN), which integrates observational data on bird populations across the western hemisphere. In turn, the AKN feeds eBird data to international biodiversity data access portals, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). In this way any contribution into eBird increases our understanding of birds and how to conserve them.

For further information, check out eBird’s web pages at http://ebird.org/content/ebird/. Participate in eBird and become part of this international effort to make data accessible.