News

Eastern Spinebill

Global Big Day 2021 reaches new heights
By Team eBird
Birds unite people. On Saturday, 8 May more than 51,000 people spanning 192 countries celebrated the birds around them for Global Big Day. Together, the global birding community accomplished FOUR world records! Global Big Day 2021 set new records for the greatest number of birders, from the most countries, reporting more species and more checklists…
Read more Global Big Day 2021 reaches new heights
Sounds from the Macaulay Library Provide the Backdrop to Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest Installation

Sounds from the Macaulay Library Provide the Backdrop to Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest Installation
By Kathi Borgmann
The sounds of species once common in Manhattan form the backdrop of a new art installation designed to evoke memories and highlight the impacts of habitat loss and climate change on our planet. Ghost Forest, a towering stand of 49 haunting Atlantic white cedar trees, designed by Maya Lin, an internationally recognized designer and sculptor,…
Read more Sounds from the Macaulay Library Provide the Backdrop to Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest Installation
Blue-headed Vireo

One Million Audio Recordings Powering Science, Conservation, and Birding Tools
By Team Macaulay Library
On April 26, 2021, Christopher McPherson recorded a Blue-headed Vireo, marking the one millionth audio recording in the Macaulay Library. This incredible milestone was made possible by 20,000 recordists and birdwatchers who have shared their audio recordings of birds, mammals, amphibians, and insects with the Macaulay Library over the past 92 years. Thank you, for…
Read more One Million Audio Recordings Powering Science, Conservation, and Birding Tools
Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Conservation partners in Florida use eBird to monitor birds on private lands
By Team eBird
Land trusts and private conservation organizations play an important role in protecting habitats on more than 56 million acres of private lands in the United States alone. These lands support hundreds of common bird species plus more than 100 bird species of conservation significance. The Cornell Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative helps to maximize…
Read more Conservation partners in Florida use eBird to monitor birds on private lands
Bald Eagle

Sightings submitted by eBirders can help inform policy to safeguard birds
By Team eBird
Public participation in scientific research through citizen-science projects has skyrocketed in the past 10 years. Citizen scientists have been donating billions of dollars’ worth of their time collecting information on everything from birds, bees, butterflies, and more resulting in a treasure trove of data helping scientists better understand plant, animal, and insect populations. New research…
Read more Sightings submitted by eBirders can help inform policy to safeguard birds
Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Recordings Plus Specimens Reveal Female Song in a Flycatcher Species
By Kathi Borgmann
In the last several years, song in female birds has been documented more and more frequently, thanks to community scientists, sound archives, and dedicated researchers. But for groups of species like flycatchers in which males and females look identical, female song can easily go unnoticed. New research out this month in the Wilson Journal of…
Read more Recordings Plus Specimens Reveal Female Song in a Flycatcher Species
Merlin Bird ID Gets New Photos and Audio for Birds in the US and Canada

Merlin Bird ID Gets New Photos and Audio for Birds in the US and Canada
By Macaulay Library Team
Merlin Bird ID, the premier bird identification app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, launched in 2014 with 285 species in the United States and Canada. Since then, Merlin has grown leaps and bounds. Now Merlin helps users identify more than 7,500 species of birds around the world and is jam packed with hundreds of…
Read more Merlin Bird ID Gets New Photos and Audio for Birds in the US and Canada
European Robin

Pandemic-related changes in birding may have consequences for eBird research
By Team eBird
Newly published research in the journal Biological Conservation finds that changes in human behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic can have major consequences for community data-gathering projects such as eBird. Researchers must take into account that when human behaviors change, so do the data being collected. The study focused on eBird reports from New York State,…
Read more Pandemic-related changes in birding may have consequences for eBird research
Recordist of Note: Mort and Phyllis Isler

Recordist of Note: Mort and Phyllis Isler
By Kathi Borgmann
The path to ornithology and sound recording came late in life for Mort and Phyllis Isler, but that has not stopped them from making significant contributions in the field. In their late 40s and early 50s, after establishing successful careers in other fields Mort and Phyllis found themselves working alongside some of the most pre-eminent…
Read more Recordist of Note: Mort and Phyllis Isler