eBird data help optimize conservation efforts

By Team eBird 17 Apr 2019
Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera

What if we could learn how to best conserve bird populations throughout their entire migratory cycle—from breeding to wintering, and everything in between? A paper published this week in the journal Nature Communications does just that—using eBird sightings to prioritize conservation across the entire Western Hemisphere. From your eBird checklists, the authors were able to create a model that identifies the most important places to conserve if you want to support at least one third of the population of 117 migratory species. Learn more here.

Species maps provided by eBird, animation by Richard Schuster, March 2019.