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Citizen Science Guide

Citizen Science for Any Season!

 

All across North America, thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds are participating in bird projects. From backyards to remote forests, these citizens represent the world's largest research team. We call them citizen scientists. We invite you to become a citizen scientist, too.

Click on any of the links below to find out more about these Citizen Science Projects:

Fall/Winter Projects:

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Project FeederWatch is for everyone with a bird feeder. FeederWatchers count the birds that visit their feeders from November through March. They also learn more about birds and bird behavior and share their observations with Lab researchers.

  
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Classroom FeederWatch

Teachers and their students love Classroom FeederWatch! This middle-school, technology-based interdisciplinary curriculum engages students by making them active participants in a real, ongoing scientific study.

  
Classroom Activity button
   Citizen Science in the Schoolyard
Citizen Science in the Schoolyard is a partnership between
students and professional scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Students gather data for international research projects. They also design and develop their own research projects based on their observations as
citizen scientists.		  

Winter:

Harper image

  

Christmas Bird Count
Audubon's Christmas Bird Count is the oldest citizen science project in existence.

 

Spring/Summer Projects:

BFL Button3
  

Birds in Forested Landscapes needs experienced birders and professional biologists to "get out into the field." Help collect data that will be used to determine the effects of fragmentation on North American forest birds.
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NestWatch
Is that a bird's nest in your yard? NestWatch wants to know!  All you do is monitor any active nest during the spring and summer and collect information about the birds in the nests. NestWatch is free to join and and your observations will help scientists learn a great deal about how birds are responding to global climate change.


Year-round:

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 eBird

Record any bird you see, from anywhere and anytime, then explore where the birds are!
House Finch Disease Survey button
    House Finch Disease Survey
Have you noticed House Finches with swollen eyes at your bird feeder? This survey of conjunctivitis is an unprecedented opportunity for citizen scientists to team with researchers to track the spread of an infectious disease in a wildlife population.
PigeonWatch Logo2
    Project PigeonWatch
Who cares about pigeons? Lab scientists do, that’s who, and we hope you do, too! PigeonWatchers learn to distinguish between color phases of pigeons, bait them in for close observation, and record the composition and behaviors of these common but fascinating birds.