NEW YORK, NY—Love is within the air—hear carefully and the sounds of chickadees, sparrows, and thrushes are beckoning you to step exterior to expertise the love from birds and nature. Take a second to have a good time what birds and nature give us throughout the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) from February 13 by means of February 16, 2026.
Spending time immersed in nature and watching birds can scale back stress and produce a smile to everybody’s face. Try this happy group of participants from 2025.
Be part of within the enjoyable this February and spend at the least quarter-hour watching birds and sharing what you see with the world at birdcount.org.
You are additionally invited to tune in to a particular webinar about how one can take part within the GBBC. Register for considered one of two free occasions taking place on Friday, February 5, at 3 p.m. Jap (12 p.m. Pacific) or Wednesday, February 11, 7 p.m. Jap (4 p.m Pacific). Register here.
Guadalupe Angel Vallejo Tapia, a GBBC participant from Mexico says, “What I like most about birdwatching is the direct reference to nature. Every species has its personal conduct, and it’s fascinating to have the ability to establish its patterns and find out about its conduct. As well as, birdwatching permits me to understand the biodiversity of our area and the optimistic impression that the conservation of those ecosystems has. It’s an exercise that, along with being academic, invitations us to mirror on the significance of defending our pure areas.”
The twenty ninth annual Nice Yard Chook Rely is happening February 13 by means of 16, 2026.
Chook and nature lovers all over the place unite within the effort to tally as lots of the world’s hen species as potential over 4 days in February. Mixed with different hen counts, GBBC outcomes assist create a clearer image of how birds are faring—whether or not particular person species are declining, growing, or holding regular within the face of habitat loss, local weather change, and different threats.
“The GBBC is a superb alternative for everybody to take a second to understand what birds and nature can do for us,” says David Bonter, co-director of the Heart for Engagement in Science and Nature on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Watching birds with family and friends can also be a good way to construct group and present your assist for the pure world.”
Greater than 800,000 individuals participated throughout the 2025 GBBC. Birders discovered 8,078 species of the world’s recognized species, 158 greater than in 2024. GBBC continues to achieve individuals world wide—birders counted birds in practically each nation.
“By taking part within the Nice Yard Chook Rely we will respect the sweetness and serenity that birds carry us day-after-day. In return, the hen observations we submit can be utilized to tell conservation efforts that safe a brighter future for birds and other people alike,” stated Ben Haywood, Audubon’s director of group science. “The extra the merrier as we have a good time the enjoyment of birds all around the world and be part of the worldwide effort to guard them and the locations they want.”
“The Nice Yard Chook Rely invitations individuals to decelerate and actually get to know the birds that share their lives,” says Jody Allair, director of Communications at Birds Canada. “The straightforward act of observing, studying, and sharing can spark pleasure, join us with a rising group world wide, and encourage a lifelong dedication to defending the locations birds rely on.”
To participate within the 2026 GBBC, every participant or group counts birds for quarter-hour or extra and makes use of the birdcount.org web site or eBird app to enter the birds they’ll establish at every website they go to. That might be their yard, but it surely is also a park, a wilderness space, condo balcony, neighborhood avenue, or anyplace.
Anybody can take part within the Nice Yard Chook Rely. First-timers ought to make it some extent to learn the directions on the GBBC website, the place they may even discover useful birding suggestions and birding app downloads. The GBBC web site additionally encompasses a map of native occasions that can assist you discover your flock: birdcount.org/community-map
The Nice Yard Chook Rely is a joint mission of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada and is made potential partly by founding sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.
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Media Contacts:
• Nicolas Gonzalez, Nationwide Audubon Society, (212) 979-3068, nicolas.gonzalez@audubon.org
• Kathi Borgmann, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, (607) 254-2137, birdnews@cornell.edu
• Olivia Carvalho, Birds Canada, 1-888-448-2473 ext. 307 ocarvalho@birdscanada.org
About Audubon
The Nationwide Audubon Society is a number one nonprofit conservation group with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impression, devoted to defending birds and the locations they want, right now and tomorrow. Birds are highly effective indicators of our planet’s well being, appearing as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and encourage motion. Audubon works throughout the Western Hemisphere, pushed by the understanding that what is sweet for birds is sweet for the planet. By a collaborative, bipartisan method throughout habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives significant and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 workers and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing pressure dedicated to making sure a greater planet for each birds and other people for generations to come back. Study extra at www.audubon.org and on Fb, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
