Use eBird data and tools

eBird data are a powerful resource for a wide range of scientific questions. By building tools that engage the global birding community, eBird gathers unprecedented volumes of information on where and when birds occur at high spatial and temporal resolutions. When combined and analyzed appropriately, these data enable next generation visualizations of migration and abundance that inform novel conservation actions.

If you have used eBird data as a core component of an analysis or as a core data set upon which conservation actions were taken, let us know by email, using the subject title ‘eBird Data Use.’


Accessing and analyzing raw eBird data

eBird data bring a number of analytical challenges and it is important to consider how the data are generated when using them for analysis. We outline best practices for analyzing eBird data in: Best practices for making reliable inferences from citizen science data (Johnston et al. 2019). Don’t forget to look at the appendices!

Best Practices for Using eBird Data acts as a supplement to the paper above, showing readers how to implement these best practices with R code. Many of the principles outlined in this resource apply to other analyses with eBird as well as other citizen science datasets.

Once you have the data in hand, the R package auk can be used to extract and prepare eBird data for analysis.  Learn about auk here.


Status and Trends data products

eBird Status and Trends data products include estimates of relative abundance and trends in relative abundance for over 2000 species globally. To learn more and to download these products for science, visit: Download eBird Status and Trends Data.

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Download Data Products

All eBird data are open-access and can be downloaded for free.

Recommended citation

You're always welcome to use eBird—as long as you properly cite it! Whether you're citing use of the core eBird dataset, or a specific graphic or image, this has the recommended format.

The eBird Taxonomy

The eBird Taxonomy is a hierarchical approach to creating a species list for data entry and listing purposes across the world.