Wild Bird Day 2023–Summary

Wild Bird Day (WBD) is an annual citizen science initiative aimed at documenting the diversity and abundance of wild bird species in India. This event also coincides with the global October Big Day! Hence checklists uploaded on WBD also counts for October Big Day. Worldwide, this year more than 36,000 birders uploaded 83,735 lists from 191 countries reporting 7,527 species. This summary provides an overview of  WBD in India.

1507 birdwatchers from India came together and documented 873 species in 5,460 checklists! Participants represented 34 states/union territories, provinces, and districts. 81 new eBirders participated in this event. In addition to this, 2,458 photos and 113 sound recordings were uploaded to the Macaulay Library!

Thanks to all birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts from across the country who made this event a success. A special shout out to all those who took this opportunity to conduct public bird walks and introduce new people to the wonders of birds and nature!

Table 1: Total number of lists uploaded from states/ union territories

Table 2: Total number of species reported from states/ union territories

Birdwalk conducted at Mamachi wadi beach, Virarby VasaiBirds and Greenline Mumbai. Photo by Ramesh Shenai

Note: This is just a summary and the final results will be published end of November 2023

Thank you to everyone for interacting with the public and students, organising bird walks and talks, and promoting the joy of birdwatching! 

Header Image: Spotted Owlet Athene brama by H Nambiar/ Macaulay Library