About the Great Backyard Bird Count

Every February, count for as little as 15 minutes in your own backyard to help expand our understanding of birds.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at APP,,Ի learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Recently, more than 300,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

The 27thannual GBBC will be heldFriday, February 16, through Monday, February 19, 2024. Please visit the official website atfor more information.

"This count is so fun because anyone can take part—whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher. I enjoy discovering the birds that occur in my own back yard and on my block and then comparing with others. Get involved and see how your favorite spot stacks up."
Chad Wilsey, vice president and chief scientist, APP

Birds can surprise us! During the 2022 GBBC more than 300,000turned-up in Missouri.A surprise sighting of awas a rare treat in 2022for Maine residents. This large, distinctly marked raptor is a regular resident of coastal regions in Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia and parts of Russia during breeding season.For more on the results of the latestGBBC, take a look at the

On theparticipants can explore real-time maps that show what others are reporting during and after the count. We hope you can join us!