The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the primary source for critical quantitative data to evaluate the status of continental bird species, keeping common birds common and helping fuel a $75 billion wildlife watching industry. Each year thousands of citizen scientists skilled in avian identification collect data on BBS routes throughout North America allowing us to better understand bird population changes and manage them. The USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity jointly coordinate the program, which provides reliable population data and trend analyses on more than 500 bird species.
Participate in the Survey - Each spring over 2500 skilled amateur birders and professional biologists volunteer to participate in the North American BBS. We are always looking for highly skilled birders to join the team.
Get Raw Data - Search and download raw data results
Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey, 2020–30 - The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has been the cornerstone of continental bird conservation and management for hundreds of North American bird species in the United States and Canada for more than 50 years. This strategic plan was developed in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders and charts the ambitious course for the BBS over the next decade (2020–30). Using this plan as a guide, the BBS program will set out to improve the breadth and depth of standardized data collection and analytical products; ensure its products are widely used and recognized as the authoritative source for long-term population change information for most birds; and secure adequate resources, internally and through partnerships, to realize the expanded vision of the BBS intended to support avian management needs through 2030.
The BBS Action Plan - A companion document to the Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey: 2020-2030, the BBS Action Plan identifies 28 specific actions for the U.S. Geological Survey, Canadian Wildlife Service, Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity and other possible collaborators providing a road map and starting points for accomplishing the three goals and eight strategic objectives of the BBS Strategic Plan over the next decade. The action plan is a living document, subject to annual review and updates as tasks are accomplished and priorities change through time.
BBS Analysis - The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Summary and Analysis Website provides summary information on population change for >500 species of North American birds. The BBS provides data from 1966 for the contiguous United States and southern Canada (the “core” area), and the scope of inference expanded in 1993 to include additional regions in northern Canada and Alaska (the “expanded” area). The website provides geographic displays and quantitative information on population trend (interval-specific yearly percentage changes) and annual indices of abundance for each species at several geographic scales, including survey-wide, states and Provinces, Bird Conservation Regions (physiographic strata), and for individual survey routes in the United States. Custom analyses of population change allow of analysis of change for any combination of years over which the survey was conducted.
BBS Bird ID - The Bird Identification Infocenter is a collection of breeding and wintering distribution maps derived from North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count data. Along with maps, images, song and call recordings, and life history information are provided for species encountered along BBS and CBC surveys.
Patuxent Bird Quiz - The Bird Identification Quiz was developed to allow users to test themselves on visual and aural identification of birds likely to be seen on North American Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts. We also include a quiz in which users get to test their knowledge of wintering and breeding distributions of North American Birds.
More information
- What is the BBS?
- The BBS in Landbird Conservation
- Overview article from Birding magazine, 2010
- BBS data are used extensively in the State of the Birds Report
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Spatio-Temporal Statistical Models for Forecasting Climate Change Effects on Bird Distribution
Comprehensive 1966 - 2017 Results! North American Breeding Bird Survey
Implementing Cross Validation Approaches for Model Selection and Evaluating Goodness of Fit in Complex Hierarchical Models
Design and Analysis of Surveys for Estimation of Temporal and Spatial Change in Animal Populations
The North American Breeding Bird Survey: Refining Scale to Provide New Insights
- Overview
The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the primary source for critical quantitative data to evaluate the status of continental bird species, keeping common birds common and helping fuel a $75 billion wildlife watching industry. Each year thousands of citizen scientists skilled in avian identification collect data on BBS routes throughout North America allowing us to better understand bird population changes and manage them. The USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity jointly coordinate the program, which provides reliable population data and trend analyses on more than 500 bird species.
Participate in the Survey - Each spring over 2500 skilled amateur birders and professional biologists volunteer to participate in the North American BBS. We are always looking for highly skilled birders to join the team.
Get Raw Data - Search and download raw data results
Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey, 2020–30 - The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has been the cornerstone of continental bird conservation and management for hundreds of North American bird species in the United States and Canada for more than 50 years. This strategic plan was developed in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders and charts the ambitious course for the BBS over the next decade (2020–30). Using this plan as a guide, the BBS program will set out to improve the breadth and depth of standardized data collection and analytical products; ensure its products are widely used and recognized as the authoritative source for long-term population change information for most birds; and secure adequate resources, internally and through partnerships, to realize the expanded vision of the BBS intended to support avian management needs through 2030.
The BBS Action Plan - A companion document to the Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey: 2020-2030, the BBS Action Plan identifies 28 specific actions for the U.S. Geological Survey, Canadian Wildlife Service, Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity and other possible collaborators providing a road map and starting points for accomplishing the three goals and eight strategic objectives of the BBS Strategic Plan over the next decade. The action plan is a living document, subject to annual review and updates as tasks are accomplished and priorities change through time.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Evening Grosbeak with BBS Trend Map (Credit: Mikey Lutmerding, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Public domain.) BBS Analysis - The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Summary and Analysis Website provides summary information on population change for >500 species of North American birds. The BBS provides data from 1966 for the contiguous United States and southern Canada (the “core” area), and the scope of inference expanded in 1993 to include additional regions in northern Canada and Alaska (the “expanded” area). The website provides geographic displays and quantitative information on population trend (interval-specific yearly percentage changes) and annual indices of abundance for each species at several geographic scales, including survey-wide, states and Provinces, Bird Conservation Regions (physiographic strata), and for individual survey routes in the United States. Custom analyses of population change allow of analysis of change for any combination of years over which the survey was conducted.
BBS Bird ID - The Bird Identification Infocenter is a collection of breeding and wintering distribution maps derived from North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count data. Along with maps, images, song and call recordings, and life history information are provided for species encountered along BBS and CBC surveys.
Patuxent Bird Quiz - The Bird Identification Quiz was developed to allow users to test themselves on visual and aural identification of birds likely to be seen on North American Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts. We also include a quiz in which users get to test their knowledge of wintering and breeding distributions of North American Birds.
More information
- What is the BBS?
- The BBS in Landbird Conservation
- Overview article from Birding magazine, 2010
- BBS data are used extensively in the State of the Birds Report
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Spatio-Temporal Statistical Models for Forecasting Climate Change Effects on Bird Distribution
Ecological indicators of climate change are needed to measure concurrent changes in ecological systems, inform management decisions, and forecast the consequences of climate change. We seek to develop robust bird-based, climate-change indicators using North American Breeding Bird Survey data.Comprehensive 1966 - 2017 Results! North American Breeding Bird Survey
The North American Breeding Bird Survey program (BBS) provides critical science-based population data for more than 400 bird species to improve our understanding of how these federally entrusted species respond to environmental variability and ecosystem change. The BBS generates results that inform Federal wildlife managers in the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, Department of...Implementing Cross Validation Approaches for Model Selection and Evaluating Goodness of Fit in Complex Hierarchical Models
It is (relatively) easy to construct complex hierarchical models for analysis of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), but deciding which model best describes population change is difficult. We are developing methods for model selection for BBS and other important survey data sets, and using them to refine our estimates of population change from this important survey.Design and Analysis of Surveys for Estimation of Temporal and Spatial Change in Animal Populations
Designing and analyzing large-scale animal surveys is an important focus of our research. Although we conduct research into analysis methods for many surveys, the primary focus of this project is to conduct analyses and develop web-based summaries of data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS).The North American Breeding Bird Survey: Refining Scale to Provide New Insights
The Challenge: Since 1966, the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has filled a vital role in identifying at-risk bird species for Federal, State, and private entities. The BBS is a scientifically rigorous population count performed by a highly skilled, largely volunteer work force of nearly 2,500 observers. Every year these observers visit most of the survey’s 4,500 routes, which consist of... - Data
- Publications
- Web Tools
- News