Birdata support and FAQs

  • Files must be uploaded in Comma Separated Values (CSV) format.
  • Two separate files must be provided: a survey file and a sightings file.
  • The first row of each file must contain column headings. The columns may be in any order. Unrecognized column names will be ignored.
  • The supported columns are listed in the tables below:
Columns for survey file
Column Name Format Notes
SurveyID Alphanumeric (max 255 characters) A survey identifier which must be unique for the selected source. Typically this is a survey ID number from the original system in which the survey was recorded. This important reference is used to trace imported surveys back to their original source.

If the survey ID already exists in Birdata for a given source, then the survey will not be imported

Required
Latitude Decimal degrees (-90 to +90) Latitude of survey location Required
Longitude Decimal degrees (-180 to +180) Longitude of survey location Required
AccuracyInMetres Integer Accuracy of coordinates in metres Optional
SurveyPointName Text (max 255 characters) Name of survey location or shared site Required
StartDate Date (DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD) Date survey was performed Required
FinishDate Date (DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD) Last date of survey (for multi-day surveys) Optional
StartTime Time (HH:MM, 24 hour time) Time of survey Optional
DurationInMinutes Integer Number of minutes spent surveying. For multi-day surveys, this should be the actual time spent surveying, not the entire survey period. For 2ha 20min surveys, this must be 20. Optional
NumberOfObservers Integer Number of observers participating in survey Optional
SurveyType One of:

  • 5_min_point_search
  • 2_ha_non_20_minute_search
  • 2_ha_search
  • area_search_within_500_m
  • area_search_within_5_km
  • bird_list
  • fixed_route_search
  • incidental_search
Survey methodology Required
UserID Integer The observer’s BirdLife user ID (Raiser’s Edge ID). If this cannot be determined, records should be assigned to a ‘dummy’ user. Required
SurveyNotes Text Survey related comments (note: there is also a comments field for individual sightings) Optional
AllSpeciesRecorded Boolean (true/false) Were all species detected during the survey recorded? Optional
WaterLevel One of

  • dry
  • below_capacity
  • nearly_empty
  • at_capacity
  • flooding
Water level if applicable Optional
Columns for sightings file
Column Name Format Notes
SurveyID Alphanumeric (max 255 characters) This must match the Survey ID for the survey which this sighting belongs Required
Species Text Common name of observed species. The common name must exist in the current Working List of Australian Birds in order for the sighting to be imported. Required
Count Integer (or ‘P’) Number of birds observed. ‘P’ or a blank value will be imported as a presence sighting with indeterminate count. Sightings with counts of zero will not be imported. Optional
BreedingActivity One of:

  • none
  • adults_on_nest
  • diagnostic_behaviour
  • nest_with_eggs
  • nest_with_young
  • nonspecific_breeding_activity
  • recently_fledged_young
  • suggestive_behaviour
  • young_out_of_nest
Breeding activity observed Optional
VettingStatus One of:

  • accepted
  • accepted_escapee
  • queried
  • rejected
  • unvetted
  • within_range
Vetting status (defaults to unvetted) Optional
SightingNotes Text Sighting related comments Optional