Various regional eBird clones exist (aVerAves, Vermont eBird, Mass Audubon eBird, Texas eBird, Bird Conservation Network eBird, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory eBird), but they all contribute to the cumulative eBird database.
The observations of each participant join those of others in an international network of eBird users. eBird then shares these observations with a global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists, and conservation biologists. In time these data will become the foundation for a better understanding of bird distribution across the western hemisphere and beyond.
eBird documents the presence or absence of species, as well as bird abundance through checklist data. A simple and intuitive web-interface engages tens of thousands of participants to submit their observations or view results via interactive queries into the eBird database. eBird encourages users to participate by providing Internet tools that maintain their personal bird records and enable them to visualize data with interactive maps, graphs, and bar charts. All these features are available in English, Spanish, and French.
A birder simply enters when, where, and how they went birding, then fills out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing. eBird provides various options for data gathering including point counts, transects, and area searches. Automated data quality filters developed by regional bird experts review all submissions before they enter the database. Local experts review unusual records that are flagged by the filters.
eBird collects observations from birders through portals managed and maintained by local partner conservation organizations. In this way eBird targets specific audiences with the highest level of local expertise, promotion, and project ownership. Portals may have a regional focus (aVerAves, eBird Puerto Rico) or they may have more specific goals and/or specific methodologies (Louisiana Winter Bird Atlas, Bird Conservation Network eBird). Each eBird portal is fully integrated within the eBird database and application infrastructure so that data can be analyzed across political and geographic boundaries. For example, observers entering observations of Cape May Warbler from Puerto Rico can view those data separately, or with the entire Cape May Warbler data set gathered by eBird across the western hemisphere.
We gratefully acknowledge the efforts of the thousands of volunteer observers who make this project possible.
CONFIRMING UNUSUAL ENTRIES
Various filters are used during the online data-entry process to check for unusual data. These can be, for example, a species out of its normal range or an unusually high count for a particular species.
If an observer submits an unusual observation for the date and location, they may be prompted to confirm the entry. If it is a typographical error, they can simply correct it. If they are sure the entry is correct, they can check a box labeled "Confirm" next to the species name on the checklist.
These "flagged" observations are uploaded to the eBird database and are available under the View and Explore Data features that access the observer's personal observations. However, they aren't immediately available in the publicly accessed View and Explore Data features. Instead, they will appear on a password-protected alternate site where a local expert will review the observations. We've taken this precaution for two reasons: to ensure the identity is correct, and to be made aware that an unusual bird was present.
In some cases the observation may be a rare sighting, in which case the editor will contact the observer directly via email for additional details. This process serves to double-check the identity, ensuring the quality of the eBird database for scientific use.
In many cases an observation may be expected, but of interest to a local checklist committee. It may be flagged to alert the people who monitor these sightings and need to be alerted as soon as possible. In these cases, the observation will be "unflagged" without any follow-up contact, making it accessible to the public through the View and Explore Data features.
Observers can select a location from a list of predetermined "Birding Hot Spots" or they can enter the latitude and longitude directly, find the location on the eBird interactive map, or simply enter the observations at the state, county, or city level.
There are four basic methods to report birds on eBird, each with a different set of required fields. The four observation types vary in the amount of effort used to make the observations.
CASUAL SIGHTINGS: don't require any measure of time spent, distance traveled, or area searched. Casual Sightings simply denote that a given species was present at a particular location on a certain date.
STATIONARY COUNTS: made over a known period of time, but don't include any measure of distance traveled or area searched.
TRAVELING COUNTS: made when traveling a known distance and period of time while walking or using a horse, car, boat, or some other transportation.
EXHAUSTIVE AREA COUNTS: made while thoroughly searching a given location or area. These counts are sometimes used by biologists when monitoring a specific site, but they can be appropriate for casual birding if the observer is able to estimate the size (in acres or hectares) of the area that is searched.
The checklist displays all of the species on the version that is selected (Most Probable or Full), sorted in the order that is selected (Taxonomic or Alphabetic).
For each species that is identified, the number of individuals that were counted is entered. If a count or estimate was not obtained, an X indicates that it was present.
After completing the checklist, a summary is provided for review. If anything is incorrect, the observer can go back and fix it. Once the checklist looks OK, it is submitted and is immediately available using the View and Explore Data features.
Locations are given a name and are also stored as latitude and longitude coordinates. Observers can select a location from a list of predetermined "Birding Hot Spots" or they can enter the latitude and longitude directly, find the location on the eBird interactive map, or simply enter the observations at the state, county, or city level.
Depending on the observation type, other data fields are required. There are four observation types that vary in the amount of effort used to make the observations.
Casual Observation (Required: date) Stationary Count (Required: date, start time, duration) Traveling Count (Required: date, start time, duration, distance covered) Exhaustive Area Count (Required: date, start time, duration, area covered)
Interested partes can also download raw data from the Avian Knowledge Network. <http://www.avianknowledge.net/content/>