About eBird

Who builds it, what it does, and how the data holds up.

"Introduction to eBird," the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's official video, via YouTube ↗

Who runs eBird

eBird is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, part of Cornell University, in partnership with the National Audubon Society, one of the founding organisations behind the project. Together they built eBird to turn everyday bird sightings — from backyard regulars to rare finds — into data that researchers and conservationists can actually use.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cornell University · builds and runs eBird National Audubon Society Founding partner, launched eBird in 2002

What they do

The Lab's goal is simple: gather what birders around the world are seeing, archive it, and share it freely — turning individual sightings into data that powers real science, conservation, and education. It's a collaborative effort, run in partnership with hundreds of organisations and thousands of regional experts worldwide, all feeding into research that's shaped conservation decisions, informed peer-reviewed studies, and supported thousands of student projects.

How it stays reliable

When you log a sighting, eBird checks it against what's realistically expected for that place and season — filters built by regional bird experts. Anything unusual gets a second look from a local reviewer before it's added. That's how a project built entirely on volunteer sightings still ends up with over a billion verified observations, and more than 100 million added every year.