Great Backyard Bird Count 2025—Preliminary Results

Summary

The 13th edition of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2025 in India concluded with remarkable success, establishing itself as one of the country’s largest citizen science events. Held from 14-17 February, 2025, the GBBC ran concurrently with the Campus Bird Count sub-event. This report  highlights some preliminary findings from the count, with complete results to follow in April 2025.

Key Highlights

• For the first time, Brazil tied with India for the third-highest number of species recorded during GBBC
• Record participation with 6,612 eBirders across India, documenting 1,084 species (highest in any previous GBBC in India)
• Peak participation of 3,956 eBirders on Day 3 of the event
• Participation from every state and union territory in India, including remote regions
• Six new states and union territories achieved full coverage of all districts compared to GBBC 2024
• Over a thousand bird walks registered, introducing an estimated 5,000+ new enthusiasts to birdwatching
• Approximately 330 campuses participated in the Campus Bird Count sub-event
• Creative initiatives like birders from Ladakh and Meghalaya renting buses to maximize coverage across multiple birding spots
• Extensive preparation by regional coordinators across multiple states who conducted online talks, bird workshops, and training sessions
• Documentation of several range restricted species classified as High Priority in the State of India’s Birds 2023 report

Globally, India maintained the second-highest number of bird lists. Notably, for the first time, Brazil tied with India for the third-highest number of species recorded during GBBC. A remarkable 6,612 eBirders from across India contributed their observations, documenting 1,084 bird species and uploading over 65,000 checklists—clear evidence of the widespread enthusiasm for birding throughout the country. The event maintained strong daily engagement, with at least 3,400 eBirders (Table 1)  participating each day of the 4-day event, peaking at 3,956 participants on Day 3! 

Table 1: eBirders, Checklists, Species Reported Daily

Participation peaked on Day 3, showing strong engagement throughout

Fig 1: Birdwatching in Debendrachandranagar, Tripura, during GBBC 2025. PC: Dr. Rumki Nath Sen

Participation came from every state and union territory, with observers in even the most remote regions actively recording local birdlife (See Table 2).

Table 2: Number of eBirders per Region Uploading to eBird

Congratulations to all the dedicated birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts from across the country who made this event such a tremendous success! Hats off to everyone who organised public bird walks and talks in their regions and campuses, introducing curious newcomers to the fascinating world of birds and nature. And a well-deserved round of applause to all the bird guides and naturalists who encouraged their clients to participate in the GBBC. Your collective passion has not only created enriching birding experiences but also contributed valuable data that will strengthen bird conservation efforts everywhere.

Building on last year’s success, this GBBC also saw participation from all the states and union territories of India. In many of these regions, dedicated birdwatchers were able to achieve complete coverage of all districts within their states and union territories (Table 3).

Table 3: States/UTs with Complete Coverage

Six new regions achieved full coverage of all districts compared to GBBC 2024

GBBC Coordinators, Regional Coordinators, Birdwatchers and all Partners of Bird Count India Collective made extensive preparations for this year’s event.

These included hosting online talks, conducting bird workshops, familiarising participants with GBBC and Campus Bird Count fundamentals, providing training on using eBird and other apps, and offering various forms of technical support. Thanks to these efforts, participants from all regions could make the most of the GBBC.

Learning the art of birdwatching! Ahmed Omar introduces students in Arunachal Pradesh to birdwatching basics during a GBBC session, inspiring young minds to connect with nature.

In preparation for GBBC 2025, regional coordinators from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal and several other regions conducted informative online sessions, guiding participants through the why, what, and how of GBBC.

Over a thousand bird walks were registered for this GBBC and Campus Bird Count. Through these bird walks, we estimate that 5,000+ new nature enthusiasts were introduced to the world of bird watching. The walks were led by GBBC coordinators, regional coordinators, nature educators, experienced birdwatchers and naturalists, who volunteered their time and expertise. The walks covered an impressive range of India’s diverse habitats—from the lush evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and Northeast India to the deciduous forests of Central India, from the pine and oak forests of the Himalayas to the cold deserts of Ladakh. Many birdwalk leaders with special permissions were able to conduct bird walks in military cantonments too. Walks were also conducted in various wetland ecosystems including rivers, lakes, marshes, coastal mudflats, providing participants with exposure to diverse bird species and their specialised habitats. Urban explorations weren’t left behind, with significant participation in city parks, gardens, and residential complexes across many cities. Around 330 campuses participated in Campus Bird Count. 

What a brilliant idea! Birders from Ladakh and Meghalaya rented buses during GBBC 2025, making the most of all four days by exploring multiple birding spots across their regions each day— a smart move to maximise sightings and cover more ground!

Bird enthusiasts in Meghalaya rented a bus to explore multiple birding hotspots during GBBC 2025. PC: Duwaki Rangad

Young birders in action! Exploring birds with binoculars and scopes during GBBC in Bangalore. PC: Priyanka Prakash

Species Highlights

GBBC 2025 documented 1,084 bird species across India which was the highest in any of the previous GBBCs in India. 

Among the species reported, the following are some of the interesting range restricted species classified as High Priority in the State of India’s Birds (SoIB) 2023 report: Nicobar Megapode, Kashmir Flycatcher, Bugun Liocichla, Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Swamp Grass Babbler, Broad-tailed Grassbird, Spot-winged Starling

Next Steps

1. Detailed data analysis will commence end of April 2025
2. Species verification process will continue until April 2025
3. Final report expected by 1st week of May 2025
4. Information for GBBC 2026 will be updated by November 2025

GBBC Stories Coming Soon

Stay tuned for our collection of personal GBBC experiences and photos from participants across the country. We’re currently compiling these wonderful stories and will be sharing them with our community soon!

Acknowledgments

A big thank you to the volunteers who contributed to translations, designing, and reviewing multilingual posters and resources: Abhirami G S, Along Sangma, Angeline Mano M, Anuj Saikia, Aravind A M, Chai Eng Law, Chandrasekar Bandi, Chonseng Sangma, Christopher Lawlor, Dhaval Vargiya, Edison Basumatary, Emidacanee Dkhar, Ezra Rynjah, Gurpartap Singh, Hareesha A S, Jaydev Mandal, Kanad Baidya, Karishma Pradhan, Malyasri Bhattacharya, Misha Bansal, Nitin Raghav, Pravar Maurya, Premjit Elange, Ramesh Shenai, Sohail Akbar, Sreekumar, Swetashree Purohit.

Special thanks to Abhirami G S for helping with coordinating the backend tasks and Manasa Venkat for assistance with social media updates.

Thanks to A M Aravind, Ananya Ramesh, Amruta Padgaonkar, Ashwin Viswanathan, Carol Pereira, Emidacanee Dkhar, Jignasa Patel, Manasa Venkat, Praveen J, Priti Bangal, Priyanka Prakash, Ronith Urs, Samakshi Tiwari, Shubham Giri, Suhel Quader, Varsha Sridhar and all the other members of the Education and Public Engagement Program at NCF. Bird Count India also extends its gratitude to Shivani Bharat and Vidhya Sagar for their invaluable help with all the administrative work.

Bird Count India extends gratitude to the following coordinators and organisations:

• GBBC Coordinators 
• Regional Coordinators
• Partners of BCI Collective

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Featured Image: Group of bird enthusiasts in Ladakh observing birds along a river bank. Photo by Padma Gyatso