Christmas Bird Count

Bundle up and join a century old bird monitoring tradition. Count winter birds in your community and contribute observations that help scientists track bird populations across North America through one of the world's largest wildlife monitoring efforts. 

More than just a bird count, it's a winter tradition. From the youngest birder to the most seasoned expert, participants come together each year to share their love of birds and contribute to this long-standing volunteer survey.

The Christmas Bird Count, often referred to as CBC, is a program of National Audubon Society, and delivered in Canada by Birds Canada. The data collected are used to derive population trends that inform the conservation status of species, to document changes associated with climate change, and identify areas eligible to be protected through initiatives like the Key Biodiversity Area program. 

Thanks to volunteers like you, this community of people is turning their appreciation of birds and nature into meaningful action that creates a national understanding of bird populations.

Monitoring birds throughout their lifecycle creates a more complete picture of how they're doing and helps focus conservation efforts where they have the most impact. For some species, the CBC is the only reliable source for monitoring their populations. The IUCN Red List globally Near-Threatened Harris’s Sparrow, nests entirely within Canada in largely inaccessible areas between the boreal forest and arctic tundra, beyond the reach of most roads. During Canadian winter, Harris’s Sparrows head to south-central United States, where if it weren’t for volunteers counting them on CBCs, their population declines would have gone undocumented.