Birdata is BirdLife Australia’s online national bird monitoring platform. Compiled from the combined efforts of professional researchers and citizen scientists, Birdata is Australia’s longest running digital database for bird sightings. It tells us where our birds are living, and how their populations are changing over time. It incorporates BirdLife Australia’s nationwide surveys, Birds in Backyards, Birds on Farms, Aussie Bird Count, as well as targeted threatened species surveys.
Where did Birdata come from?
Half a century ago – well before today’s “big data” citizen science era – Australia was already leading the world by harnessing the power of volunteers to monitor bird populations. Between the 1970s to early 200s two major volunteer events – the Australian “Atlas” projects – collected huge amounts of information about Australian birds. More than 10,000 dedicated Aussie birders completed almost 370,000 bird surveys in all corners of the country, recording nearly 7.5 million bird sightings on paper forms that were mailed to the project’s headquarters.
How is Birdata used today?
Today, we use our online Birdata platform to conduct our nationwide citizen science survey programs, Birds in Backyards, Birds on Farms, and the annual Aussie Bird Count, as well as to conduct targeted threatened species surveys.
The information held in Birdata is also used more widely for publications, legislation and academic research throughout Australia. Each time a Birdata survey is submitted, it is added into our database and directly contributes not only to BirdLife Australia’s on-the-ground conservation work, but to broader conservation planning and land management. Birdata records are shared every week with community groups, corporations, universities and government bodies to inform decision making and research, to give Australia’s birds the best possible future!