On 12 October, birders from every continent on earth came together for an extraordinary celebration of birds, nature, and the power of participatory science: October Big Day. In just 24 hours, this event united birdwatchers in 201 countries in a shared goal—recording and appreciating the diversity of birdlife that surrounds us. The result was nothing short of inspiring, as more than three quarters of a million birders collectively contributed to the most successful October Big Day ever, breaking a world record with more than 7,800 species being documented in a single day.
This amazing number of recorded species is a testament to the efforts of observers around the world and the resources created by the global birding community. From expanded common name language availability in both eBird and Merlin to events produced by local birding organizations, passionate birders have helped to share the joy of birds, generate tools to aid in birding, and create a welcoming global community.
To every birder who took part in October Big Day: thank you. Your passion, dedication, and love for birds are what make this event truly special. Together, we’ve contributed data that will help inform the conservation of birds for generations to come. We are thankful to partner with many amazing organizations worldwide, including the eBird regional teams and collaborators, who inspire and engage birders not only on October Big Day but every day. A special thank you to ZEISS for sponsoring the eBirder of the Month challenge, offering birders the chance to win a pair of ZEISS binoculars by participating in this year’s October Big Day.
Saturday, 12 October was also an opportunity to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and Global Bird Weekend. Tremendous thanks to Global Birding’s Tim Appleton and Penny Robinson, Birdlife International, and Swarovski Optik for making Global Bird Weekend possible, and to the World Migratory Bird Day team for their efforts.
October Big Day by the numbers
Birders of all ages and skill levels joined forces, submitting eBird checklists to capture a snapshot of bird diversity across the planet. This year, the birding community rose to the occasion once again, setting new milestones:
- Nearly 748,000 people went birding with eBird and/or Merlin!
- 99,317 checklists submitted by 44,044 eBirders
- 7,849 species observed globally from 202 countries
- 61,986 Photos submitted to the Macaulay Library
- 2,022 Recordings submitted to the Macaulay Library
Explore more October Big Day results and mark your calendars for the next Big Day—10 May, 2025.
The following video highlights some of the tremendous outpouring of support for October Big Day.
Below, we feature some additional themes and stories shared by you, the global birding team.
Exciting Regional Growth
The newest eBird regional team, eBird Italia, made a stellar debut on their first October Big Day! Italy saw the greatest growth in the number of eBirders and recorded the second-highest increase in checklists submitted. We can’t wait to see what this passionate team of collaborators in Italy continues to build.
For the first time ever, more than 1,500 species were reported from Africa on October Big Day— including 304 additional species in Tanzania. The nearly 2,000 checklists contributed by 811 eBirders on October Big Day in this region provide critical insights that are used in real-time to support bird conservation efforts.
The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy was one of the many organizations in Africa who coordinated activities for birding enthusiasts on 12 October:
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An Event for Everyone
Birders of all ages were involved on 12 October. A nature club in Trashi Yangtse, Bhutan, went birding sharing the “spotted a whopping 25 different species of birds!”, which you can see on their shared checklist. The club, which includes young birders from the region, went on to say, “It was like a birdwatcher’s dream come true.” This is likely a feeling many of us can relate to as we reflect on the excitement of Big Days.
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Birders celebrated at the Anzali Lagoon, and called for the wetland’s conservation.
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“With the presence of more than forty enthusiasts in all age groups from children to adults and the elderly who love the resident and migratory birds of global importance in Anzali Lagoon”, Big Day functioned as a way to get people of all ages engaged in supporting the conservation of significant habitat for birds.
Welcome new eBirders!
An inspiring number of people eBirded for the very first time on October Big Day. Thank you to the 1,731 new eBirders for making their first Big Day adventure count towards global achievements. Pajareritos in Colombia specializes in introducing young people to birding, and 12 October offered an opportunity to inspire the next generation of bird enthusiasts.
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Birding and Beyond
October Big Day is more than a celebration of birds—it’s a powerful example of the impact that community science can have on conservation. Every checklist submitted, no matter how big or small, added to this global effort, highlighting the strength of participatory science. Birders not only got outdoors and connected with nature, but they also contributed valuable data to scientists working to protect birds and the ecosystems they depend on.
We saw an outpouring of excitement in anticipation of October Big Day. Organizations from around the world worked diligently—some for months in advance— to inspire participation on 12 October.
The Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile (ROC), eBird Regional Partner and coordinators of eBird Chile, incentivized participation in October Big Day with “prizes and other surprises” along with a beautifully illustrated promotional poster by Bárbara Palma.
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This video, from Administración Parques Nacionales Argentina and shared by regional partners at eBird Argentina, motivated birders to find key emblematic species across different national parks on October Big Day.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DAEPcLRRvRs/
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This TikTok from Peru, had a whopping 4.6 Million views, helping to raise the excitement surrounding Global Big Day
https://www.tiktok.com/@ytuqueplanes/video/7422009768815955206
@ytuqueplanes ¡Todas las aves cuentan! Únete este ️12 de octubre al #OctoberBigDay2024 ♬ sonido original – YTúQuéPlanes
The Santa Cruz State Parks in California shared support for World Migratory Bird Day and October Big Day in a post encouraging “bird-curious or a serious birder[s]” in California to go birding on OBD.
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Artists, like Alma Ferruelo, created drawings leading up to 12 October. Creativity when combined with a passion for birds leads to the creation of inspiring pieces celebrating participatory science efforts.
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For the Big Day, German artist ChristlMistl, created “Gänse-Bingo” (translated “Goose-Bingo”), a watercolor and illustration bingo card comprised of different goose illustrations. An exciting and beautiful game exemplifying the variety of species that can be documented in one day, and the creative ways they can be celebrated.
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Birding groups around the world held events for beginning birders and to showcase eBird best practices on 12 October. Efforts like these have helped to build community and skills for birders.
Bird Count India, regional partners for eBird India, held the 7th annual Wild Bird Day in conjunction with October Big Day. This national event encourages birding best practices, especially counting individual birds, in order to “generate a snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds at this time of the year”.
Birders in the Elopa-Etugu Community Eco-Cultural Preserve (EECEP) in the Eastern Himalayan foothills of India held an eBird workshop teaching best practices on how to use eBird while birding, and also encouraging participation in October Big Day.
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The Tsunuun Birding Club led a birding walk at the Felipe Carrillo Puerto Higher Technological Institute in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
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Sharing the Experience
The participation of birders from 202 countries underscored the global nature of October Big Day. Every eBird checklist tells a story; whether recording common species or rare sightings, every contribution helped build a richer picture of global bird diversity. Many thanks to these eBirders and everyone else who shared the unique moments that they experienced along the way.
In Campos del Tuyú National Park, Aves Playeras de Argentina along with local park rangers birded by boat to get views at shore and sea birds. They were prepared for a full day of birding with scopes and plenty of mate on board.
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Irvin Sabastian, Lijo James Mathew, and Kichu Aravind with the Kuwait Birders Club identified OBD as “the most exciting day for birdwatchers” and emphasized the role that eBird plays in recording sightings at a global scale.
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In the United States, Birding with Levi shared some of the awesome species he found, as he brought viewers along on a 24 hour birding marathon via TikTok.
@leviwasmundt My October big day part 1! It was a great time spent exploring Pacific county and being with the birds! Did you see any cool birds yesterday??? – – – – #octoberbigday #bigday #nature #birding #wildlife #birds #pnw #goollin #vortexoptics ♬ vibey birds of a feather – Jordan Greenwald
Part 1: https://www.tiktok.com/@leviwasmundt/video/7425304332095982890
@leviwasmundt Replying to @jilliankap As promised, here is part 2 of my October big day! A very long day filled with many birds! Glad I did this! – – – – #wildlife #nature #pnw #birding #bird #vortexoptics #goollin ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89
Part 2: https://www.tiktok.com/@leviwasmundt/video/7425710905201036586
In Venezuela, Hilda Naveda went birding in the Jardín Botánico de Maracaibo and shared the species she and others saw.
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In Egypt, eBird Reviewer Watter AlBahry was excited “to see more new Young Egyptian BirdWatcher[s] exploring Egypt,” and “Know more about Egypt birds to help Conservation efforts.”
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Letícia Martins, shared about her participation in October Big Day “in Britânia” saying, “ it was really cool to see local residents observing the wealth of species found in their ‘backyard’.”
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Finally, Gracie Clark shared her October Big Day birding experience with Merlin through a beautifully illustrated page of her nature journal.
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Looking Ahead
While October Big Day 2024 has come to a close, the birding doesn’t stop here. You can continue to contribute valuable observations to eBird year-round by submitting your checklists. Each sighting helps build a global picture of bird population and provides essential data for research and conservation.
As we look forward to Global Big Day 2025 on May 10, we hope even more birders will join us to continue this incredible Big Day tradition. Until then, keep birding, stay connected with birders in your area, and continue to contribute to your unique observation to better understand birds on a global scale.
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