Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds.
Founded in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the GBBC pioneered online data collection and near-real-time reporting of wild bird observations. Participation has grown from approximately 14,000 individuals in the U.S. and Canada to an estimated 838,113 world-wide participants in 2025.
The 2025 event set new records for both engagement and species documented, solidifying the GBBC as the world’s largest biodiversity-related participatory citizen science initiative.
Last year, participants identified 8,078 bird species from 217 countries. In Wisconsin, 71 of 72 counties contributed, reporting 128 species. Organizers described the results as “unbelievable,” emphasizing the event’s role in uniting people globally for bird conservation.
Who: Wildlife and bird watchers/enthusiasts
When: Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 13-16, 2026
Where: In your backyard or at the Park while on a snowshoe hike or cross-country ski adventure
- Minocqua Winter Park is a Hotspot on the eBird app/website, with 71 species: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L17313003?yr=cur
What/How: Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
- If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing.
- If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
- Fill out the Google form below with bird names, counts, and photos
