2019 Aussie Backyard Bird Count results
Australia counts nearly 3.4 million birds in 7 days!
In its sixth year, the Aussie Backyard Bird Count saw record-breaking numbers of people heading to their backyards and local green spaces to count their local birds. Together we counted nearly 3.4 million birds across the nation, compared to 2018’s 2.7 million. The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is quickly becoming one of Australia’s biggest citizen science events and it’s an activity that attracts counters of all ages. From 21-28 October a record number of young people took part in the count, with numbers of participating schools tripling to more than 1,000.
The White Ibis makes its first appearance in the Top 10..
For the first time since the Aussie Bird Count began in 2014, a new bird made it into the top ten most commonly seen species. With thousands more spotted in urban areas this year, the White Ibis moved from 13th spot in 2018, to 10th spot in 2019.
This supports our understanding that birds are being impacted by the continued drought in regional areas of Australia, meaning that birds such as the White Ibis are moving towards wetter areas near the coast. Results also show that several other dry country birds including the White-winged Triller, Crimson Chat and Pied Honeyeater were recorded in areas they aren’t normally found.
Rainbow Lorikeets take the top spot – again!
In 2019, the Rainbow Lorikeet held onto its top spot by a big margin. Across Australia we counted more than 400,000 Rainbow Lorikeets!
So, why are Rainbow Lorikeets ruling the roost?
The rise of the Rainbow Lorikeet highlights the changes in Aussie backyards over the past half century, with traditional European-style cottage gardens making way for native backyards which provide the perfect place for these nectar-loving birds to forage on the flowers of eucalypts, bottle-brushes and grevilleas to harvest nectar and pollen. This shows the impact that planting natives can have, head over to our gardening tips page to see which plants will attract your favourite birds.
Download the 2019 results infographic here.
Download the 2019 species list for Australia and the states/territories here.
Why we need you
Collecting a huge dataset like the one we get from the Aussie Backyard Bird Count is only possible thanks to you. The vast amount of data collected from citizen science programs like the Aussie Backyard Bird Count fills a knowledge gap, particularly on urban bird species, and gives us access to areas we usually wouldn’t be able to survey, like your backyard!
As well as helping ecologists track large-scale biodiversity trends like these, it also gives people the chance to connect with their natural environment and gain a greater appreciation of our unique fauna.
Count birds year-round
If counting birds for one week each October isn’t enough, and you’re keen to submit bird surveys year-round, you should check out our bird monitoring programs — Birds in Backyards and Birdata.
