2021 Halftime Report

The Valentine’s Day Verdict Is InThe World Loves Birds!

We are two days into the count with approximately 48 hours left to go (depending on your time zone!) Keep up the impressive work. We are poised to surpass our 2020 numbers thanks to your contributions!

Halftime Highlights

  • 5,279 unique bird species observed
  • 157 participating countries
  • 133,500 complete checklists
  • 254,854 sightings saved with Merlin Bird ID

These numbers were as of 12 a.m. EST, Sunday, February 14th. For a fun visualization, you can watch as new sightings roll in via our live submissions map.

Keep the Data Coming

General Trends

Perhaps the biggest trend for birdwatchers in North America is the extreme cold affecting much of the middle and eastern parts of the continent. Nevertheless, birds are out and about and thousands of stalwart birdwatchers have been out, too. In the U.S. and Canada, this winter has been a big one for irruptive species including Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Evening Grosbeaks, and Common Redpolls. All are coming south from their boreal haunts and delighting admirers during this weekend’s count.

We had early sightings from India, New Zealand, and Australia including a Red-wattled Lapwing from Tamil Nadu, an Australian Owlet-nightjar and a South Island Oystercatcher.

Colombia and India are vying for the most bird species reported in their respective countries. There’s also been strong representation from other Latin America countries, such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador, and Argentina. Thailand holds the 10th spot for most reported birds!

Great Photos From Around the World

Cape Sugarbird perched on a plant.
Cape Sugarbird in South Africa. Photo by Bruce Ward Smith/Macaulay Library.

In two days, photographers have uploaded more than 32,000 photos along with eBird checklists to our Macaulay Library. Some of the photos are spectacular—browse the full collection of GBBC bird photo submissions via our eBird/Macaulay Library archive. You can also see a selection of highlights in our Facebook album.

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