Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects (such as the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird), helping us to learn more about how birds are doing and how to protect them and the environment we share. The longer these data are collected, the more meaningful they become in helping scientists investigate far-reaching questions, like these:
How will the weather and climate change influence bird populations?
How will the timing of birds’ migrations compare with past years?
What kinds of differences in bird diversity are apparent in cities versus suburban, rural, and natural areas?