Raptor Population Index
Each year, thousands of volunteers gather to watch migrating raptors during the fall and spring. This awe-inspiring experience contributes essential data for conservation.
Through patient hours of observation, the Raptor Population Index team transforms sightings into rigorous, science-backed assessments and population trends that reveal the health of raptor species and guide actions to protect them.
Every tally, every watch, and every volunteer strengthens our understanding and defense of these remarkable birds.
©Hawk Mountain SanctuaryPhoto: Bracken Brown
©Hawk Mountain SanctuaryPhoto: Bracken Brown
A Collaborative Effort
Fueled by Hawk Count data, The Raptor Population Index (RPI) is a collaborative effort to understand and share trends and conservation status of migratory raptors in North America. Each year, thousands of volunteers gather on ridgelines, coastlines, and other concentration points to watch migrating raptors during the fall and spring and contribute their data to HawkCount.org.
This awe-inspiring event provides a fun and accessible point of entry to bird watching and in-flight identification to the public, while also generating decades of standardized monitoring data from sites across North America. These data have great scientific value for monitoring the status and conservation of raptors across the continent.
RPI turns decades of careful counts by dedicated hawk watchers into clear, science-based insights about how migratory raptors are doing across North America. By revealing which species are declining, stable, or increasing, RPI gives conservation groups, land managers, and decision-makers the evidence they need to act before it is too late. We do this work to honor the efforts of hundreds of volunteer observers, to keep top avian predators thriving in a rapidly changing world, and to ensure that the spectacle of raptor migration remains a living legacy for future generations.
©Bald EaglePhoto: Yousif Attia
Partners and Collaborators
