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What is a “Sensitive Species”?

Some bird species face risks from humans of capture, targeted killing, or significant disturbance. Open-access data can be a risk for these birds that are targeted for exploitation. eBird data output is restricted to protect these “Sensitive Species” while still allowing important data about them to be entered into eBird.

With these dangers to wild birds in mind, Sensitive Species listings allow eBirders to submit specific location data for at-risk species in a way that supports science and conservation, without risk of causing harm to the birds.

List of eBird Sensitive Species in Minnesota

The following species that occur in Minnesota are eBird Sensitive Species.

Globally Sensitive Species:

Northern Hawk Owl
Birds have been harassed at wintering locations.

Great Gray Owl
Birds have been harassed at wintering locations.

Gyrfalcon
Taken by falconers.

Regionally Sensitive Species (United States):

Black Rail
Low population size, may be disturbed by audio playback.

Long-eared Owl
Vulnerable to human disturbance in their day roosts.

See the full Sensitive Species List for eBird.

How are Sensitive Species displayed in eBird?

Sensitive Species have a customized display in eBird. They are:

• Hidden from checklist views, except to observers on the checklist
• Hidden from all site-level output (e.g., Hotspot Explorer, bar charts for hotspots)
• Shown only at grid-cell level (400 km2 accuracy) on eBird species maps
• Shown at region-level output (e.g., Region Explorer, Illustrated Checklists) with checklist details (date, location, observer, checklist link) omitted
• Included in listing totals (e.g., Top 100), but never shown as “most recent addition”
• Shown in Media Search with checklist details (date, location, observer, checklist link) omitted and only for regions larger than a hotspot
• Specifically marked as Sensitive wherever the species name is displayed in output and location-level data has been removed, such as on the Region Explorer or Illustrated Checklist pages

Since these data can still be used by qualified scientists (including Endangered Species recovery teams), these records are still seen by eBird reviewers, who must check identifications for accuracy.

How should eBirders report sensitive species?

Report the observation in eBird where the record will be protected from exploitation and still help inform research and conservation for the species.

However, we ask eBirders observing any of the species on our Sensitive Species List to use discretion in sharing sightings via other public platforms (e.g., Facebook, webpages, listservs, etc.). Revealing site-level records exposes the birds to risk from professional bird trappers, hunters, and/or pressure by birdwatchers and photographers and could cause significant harm to the conservation of these species. We recommend that you enjoy your good fortune privately and not share the specific location with others to help protect the species.

What about other birds that aren’t on the Sensitive Species List?

eBird’s Sensitive Species protections only apply to clear cases where public information about a species may place that species at risk. There are other cases where it may be best to not report specific observations publicly on eBird, even if the species isn’t sensitive as a whole, either due to restricted site access concerns or because the bird may be harmed in some way. eBirders must take it upon themselves to understand the situation locally and to use their best judgment, as the status of a species may change from place to place.

Here are a few ways to help protect sensitive birds when reporting to eBird:

• Wait until the season is over and the sensitive bird(s) have left before reporting the birds to eBird. You can go back and ‘edit’ your checklists later to include sensitive records after the birds have departed.
• Do not provide explicit coordinates or directions to sensitive records. For instance, you may say that birds were seen at a state park, instead of listing the exact location therein.
• Delay reporting observations for 8 days or more to keep these reports off of eBird Alerts.
• Hide observations in eBird after you have submitted a checklist by selecting that option from the “Checklist Tools” dropdown menu. This keeps the species off the output (e.g., maps, bar charts etc.) but does not hide the fact that you went birding altogether (i.e., the date and location may show up on the Recent Checklists feed, but no one will be able to see the species you saw). Once the species is safe again, we always recommend ‘unhiding’ your checklist because all sightings on hidden eBird checklists cannot be used for scientific analysis or by fellow birders.

Be a conscientious birder

It is up to each and every individual birder to ensure that they behave themselves in the field. The American Birding Association published a Birding Code of Ethics that should be followed by all birders. eBird fully supports these recommendations and we are pleased that the great majority of birders follow this code. We encourage all birders to review these guidelines, and realize that they are established to help protect the birds we all love to watch! Moreover, take it upon yourself to understand the conservation concerns in your area, and be aware that your actions could impact birds negatively. Be smart, be aware, and always keep the bird’s best interests in mind.