Christmas Bird Count
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The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of
History
In the 19th century, many North Americans participated in the tradition of Christmas "side hunts", in which they competed at how many birds they could kill.[2] In December 1900, the U.S. ornithologist Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore (which became Audubon magazine), proposed counting birds on Christmas instead of killing them.
On Christmas Day of that year, 27 observers took part in the first count in 25 places in the
The greatest number of bird species ever reported by any U.S. location in a single count is 250, observed on December 19, 2005, in the Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh count circle around Matagorda and Palacios, Texas.[3] The greatest number of bird species ever reported by a CBC circle in the world is 531, observed on December 21, 2013, in the Cosanga-Narupa count (previously known as the Yanayacu count) on the eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador.[4]
Methods
Each individual count is performed in a "count circle" with a diameter of 15 miles (24 kilometres).[5] At least ten volunteers, including a compiler to manage things, count in each circle. They break up into small parties and follow assigned routes, which change little from year to year, counting every bird they see. In most count circles, some people also watch feeders instead of following routes.
Counts can be held on any day from December 14 to January 5 inclusive.
The results, providing data on winter ranges of birds, are complementary to those of the
See also
- Australian Bird Count
- BioBlitz – "24-hour inventory"
- Breeding Bird Survey
- Great Backyard Bird Count
- Tucson Bird Count
- Citizen science
References
- ^ "Annual OKC Christmas Bird Count set Saturday". The Oklahoman. Photography by Steve Gooch. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Publishing Co. December 13, 2015. p. 12B. Retrieved August 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Bartlett, Colin (January 8, 2005). "Marine bird numbers on the decline". Birding. The Star. Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada: Nanaimo Daily News. p. A19. Retrieved August 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mad Island Marsh Christmas Bird Count" (Press release). The Nature Conservancy. September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on November 2, 2008.
- ^ https://www.audubon.org/content/114th-cbc-central-and-south-america-regional-summary 114th CBC Central and South America Regional Summary
- ^ "Christmas Bird Count Compiler Resources". National Audubon Society. January 8, 2018. I'd like to set up a new Christmas Bird Count circle, what do I do?. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
Further reading
- Richman, Talia (January 1, 2018). "Bird count more than just a game". The Baltimore Sun. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved August 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Page 9 content located at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/23180435/christmas_bird_count_more_than_game_pt2/ .