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):
SpeciesNumber of Checklists
Northern Cardinal59,083
Dark-eyed Junco59,074
Mourning Dove48,313
Downy Woodpecker45,399
Blue Jay41,671
American Goldfinch39,880
House Finch39,241
Tufted Titmouse38,191
Black-capped Chickadee36,363
House Sparrow34,564* 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):
SpeciesNumber of Individuals
Snow Goose1,494,937
Canada Goose1,110,946
Brambling1,000,047
European Starling630,610
Mallard579,330
American Coot501,152
American Robin488,063
Dark-eyed Junco465,939
Red-winged Blackbird432,513
American Goldfinch364,963* All Top 10 species are North American, reflecting high participation from this region.
Top 10 states/provinces by checklists submitted
State/ProvinceNumber of SpeciesNumber of Checklists
California3768,453
Pennsylvania1417,120
New York1636,615
Florida3095,478
Texas3665,256
Virginia1804,672
North Carolina2014,497
Ontario1374,216
Ohio1254,190
Georgia2004,017
Top 10 countries by checklists submitted
CountryNumber of SpeciesNumber of Checklists
United States671108,396
Canada24110,491
India7176,810
Australia524812
Mexico653425
Costa Rica559303
Portugal197193
New Zealand126161
Ecuador784138
Honduras353133
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.
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Contacts:
Agatha Szczepaniak, Audubon, (212) 979-3197, aszczepaniak@audubon.org
Pat Leonard, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, (607) 254-2137, pel27@cornell.edu; contact for photos
Dick Cannings, Bird Studies Canada, (250) 493-3393 (West Coast time), dcannings@birdscanada.org
