Global Big Day Bird Watchers Tally A Record 6,906 Species
Ithaca, NY— On May 5, Global Big Day birders tallied nearly 7 out of 10 species known to exist on the planet. That works out to record-shattering results: more than 6,900 bird species recorded by more than 28,000 participants.
During Global Big Day, a celebration of the world’s birds, participants report their observations to the eBird website (ebird.org) run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Big Day” is the term used for any attempt to see or hear as many bird species as possible in 24 hours.
“If you get people all around the world going out birding on the same day, we can find most of the species of birds and then really start to understand them,” says Chris Wood at the Cornell Lab. “And along the way, it’s a great way to expose people to birds and spark what for many people will become a lifelong passion.” Read more