April is here, and so is the peak of the breeding season! Birds are at their most vocal, filling the air with songs, calls, and territorial displays. This month, we invite you to document bird sounds and contribute valuable data that will help improve Merlin Sound ID in India.
To complete this challenge, you must:
- Upload at least 20 eligible* checklists in April 2025.
- In any of these 20 checklists, record songs or calls of at least 5 different species.
- Upload at least 10 rated audio recordings covering at least 5 species (maximum 2 recordings per species).
Need help? Check out this video guide on how to record and prepare your audio before uploading it to your checklist.
Learn how to capture quality bird sounds with our smartphone recording tips here.
* Eligible checklists are those that report ALL species seen/heard (and are therefore marked ‘complete’), includes counts for all species numbers (no ‘X’ entries) and are of at least 15 minutes or longer in duration.
Instructions on Media Ratings
Once you’ve uploaded audio recordings to your eBird checklist:
- Request your eBirder friends to rate your media.
- You can also rate your own media—this is perfectly fine! However, please make sure to review this article on Rating Sound Recordings.
- Important: If you forget to rate your media, your lists will not be counted for the challenge!
Bonus Challenge: Help Fill Gaps in Merlin Sound ID!
Certain species in western regions of India urgently need more audio recordings. If you encounter these birds, record their calls to help improve Merlin Sound ID!
Species most in need of sound recordings (sorted by priority):
| Species | No. of recordings needed |
|---|---|
| White-browed Bushchat | 98 |
| Laggar Falcon | 97 |
| Knob-billed Duck | 95 |
| Yellow-legged Buttonquail | 89 |
| Painted Sandgrouse | 89 |
| Indian Spotted Creeper | 83 |
| Black-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher | 78 |
| Hypocolius | 74 |
| Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon | 73 |
| Small Buttonquail | 69 |
| … see the full list here |
Although this above list focuses on species from Western India, we encourage birders to record them wherever they are found across India.
Important: Whenever you see birds showing any signs of breeding, choose the breeding behaviour codes. To do this in the eBird App, tap the species name, tap on ‘Add breeding code‘, and select the appropriate purple circle that is closest to your observation. (Please note again, F and H are not breeding codes).
Please upload all your lists by 10 May 2025 so that we can announce the results soon after that.
Here are the general rules of our monthly challenges. And check out the yearlong challenges for 2025 as well! You can keep track of fresh lists coming in from India on this page.
Header Image: White-bellied Minivet Pericrocotus erythropygius © Yann Muzika/ Macaulay Library
