Bird Week! Aim for the Gold Checklist: Join Citizen Science with eBird
For Bird Week, the Wild Bird Society of Japan is launching a campaign encouraging birdwatchers to submit 'Gold Checklists' via the eBird app, contributing high-quality data to global avian research.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 14:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 18:54 (292h 23m after Collected)
To coincide with Bird Week, the Wild Bird Society of Japan (Secretariat: Tokyo; President: Keisuke Ueda; Members & Supporters: approx. 50,000) is launching the campaign "Bird Week! Aim for the Gold Checklist: Join Citizen Science with eBird" to encourage people to participate in a citizen science project through their daily birdwatching.
By submitting wild bird observation data to "eBird," a citizen science project collaboratively operated by the Wild Bird Society of Japan and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, anyone can contribute to scientific research and conservation efforts. Those who submit "Gold Checklists"—which are utilized for bird data analysis—and those who submit to eBird every day during the period will receive a commemorative gift (by lottery if there are many eligible participants).
## Citizen Science Project eBird
eBird is the world's largest wild bird observation database and citizen science project, operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the USA. Over 2 billion wild bird observation records have been submitted to eBird by birdwatchers around the world, and the accumulated data is utilized for avian research and conservation activities. The Wild Bird Society of Japan operates the Japanese version of eBird in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
On eBird, users can submit and archive their birdwatching records from smartphones or PCs. Additionally, through various search functions, users can discover where to find the birds they want to see or explore popular birdwatching spots.
Since the release of the eBird Japanese version in November 2021, the number of domestic users has continued to grow, surpassing 12,000 (as of April 2026). Although the number of submitted checklists has exceeded 300,000, it is still insufficient compared to North America and Europe. In this campaign, by popularizing the requirements for the "Gold Checklist"—which can be used for analysis—and encouraging submissions, we aim to improve both the quantity and quality of eBird data, thereby promoting the data analysis of wild birds in Japan.
## eBird Data Analysis and the "Gold Checklist"
The data accumulated in eBird is analyzed by the eBird Science Team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and published annually as "Status & Trends," maps showing estimated population sizes, distribution ranges, and population trends. The data used for analysis must meet certain requirements, such as accurately recording location and travel routes within a specific time and distance, and properly counting population numbers. Checklists fulfilling these conditions are called "Gold Checklists." Currently, maps for distribution ranges and estimated populations for about 370 species of Japanese wild birds are available. By increasing the number of "Gold Checklists," we expect to advance the mapping of even more species. Online courses and events will also be held in conjunction with the campaign.
By submitting wild bird observation data to "eBird," a citizen science project collaboratively operated by the Wild Bird Society of Japan and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, anyone can contribute to scientific research and conservation efforts. Those who submit "Gold Checklists"—which are utilized for bird data analysis—and those who submit to eBird every day during the period will receive a commemorative gift (by lottery if there are many eligible participants).
## Citizen Science Project eBird
eBird is the world's largest wild bird observation database and citizen science project, operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the USA. Over 2 billion wild bird observation records have been submitted to eBird by birdwatchers around the world, and the accumulated data is utilized for avian research and conservation activities. The Wild Bird Society of Japan operates the Japanese version of eBird in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
On eBird, users can submit and archive their birdwatching records from smartphones or PCs. Additionally, through various search functions, users can discover where to find the birds they want to see or explore popular birdwatching spots.
Since the release of the eBird Japanese version in November 2021, the number of domestic users has continued to grow, surpassing 12,000 (as of April 2026). Although the number of submitted checklists has exceeded 300,000, it is still insufficient compared to North America and Europe. In this campaign, by popularizing the requirements for the "Gold Checklist"—which can be used for analysis—and encouraging submissions, we aim to improve both the quantity and quality of eBird data, thereby promoting the data analysis of wild birds in Japan.
## eBird Data Analysis and the "Gold Checklist"
The data accumulated in eBird is analyzed by the eBird Science Team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and published annually as "Status & Trends," maps showing estimated population sizes, distribution ranges, and population trends. The data used for analysis must meet certain requirements, such as accurately recording location and travel routes within a specific time and distance, and properly counting population numbers. Checklists fulfilling these conditions are called "Gold Checklists." Currently, maps for distribution ranges and estimated populations for about 370 species of Japanese wild birds are available. By increasing the number of "Gold Checklists," we expect to advance the mapping of even more species. Online courses and events will also be held in conjunction with the campaign.