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. 2011 Dec;9(12):e1001220.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001220. Epub 2011 Dec 20.

eBird: engaging birders in science and conservation

Chris Wood  1 , Brian Sullivan, Marshall Iliff, Daniel Fink, Steve Kelling
Affiliations

eBird: engaging birders in science and conservation

Chris Wood et al. PLoS Biol. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

How do you successfully engage an audience in a citizen-science project? The processes developed by eBird (www.ebird.org), a fast-growing web-based tool that now gathers millions of bird observations per month, offers a model.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. eBird frequency bar chart for Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.
Data output tools such as the eBird bar charts serve a variety of inter-related purposes from engaging users, to encouraging better data collection, to informing land management decisions. These bar charts for Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=ibas&parentState=US-NY&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2011&reportType=location&ibas=US-NY_MOWC&continue.x=34&continue.y=13&continue=Continue) help birders plan trips to see shorebirds, and encourage birders to enter complete checklists of all species to ensure their data are used in output like this. They also provide refuge managers with details on the seasonal occurrence of shorebirds to inform management actions, such as raising or lowering water levels to create feeding habitat for birds. Much of the simple output in eBird uses “frequency of detection”, i.e., the percentage of checklists that report a species. By clicking on the name of any species, like Stilt Sandpiper (http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?cmd=decisionPage&speciesCodes=stisan&getLocations=states&states=US-NY&bYear=1900&eYear=2011&bMonth=1&eMonth=12&reportType=species&parentState=US-NY), you can interact with the data to view locations where the species was found, explore high counts, and view birds per hour. Image credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Figure 2
Figure 2. White-throated Sparrow distribution.
Figure 2 illustrates a STEM distribution estimate for White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), a migratory songbird that winters in the southeastern US and breeds in the northeastern US and eastern Canada. This occurrence map shows the probability of encountering the species (maximum 50% probability) on a 1-hour birding walk starting at 7:00 a.m. for 5 January, 3 May, and 7 June 2009. Using a temporal sequence of daily continental-scale distribution estimates allows quick assessment of such things as the rate of arrival and departure from the wintering grounds, migratory corridors, and regions of particular importance for breeding, wintering, or migratory stopover. Over time, these same models will help identify and quantify changes. Image credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. To view an animation of White-throated Sparrow distribution throughout the year, visit http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/occurrence-maps/white-throated-sparrow.
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References

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