2017 Aussie Backyard Bird Count Results

Rainbow Lorikeet tops the count … again

The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is fast becoming one of Australia’s largest citizen science events—with more than 72,000 participants and 60,000 checklists submitted, together we counted almost two million birds! The Rainbow Lorikeet topped the Aussie Backyard Bird Count for the fourth consecutive year, reported in approximately 40% of all surveys submitted. The Top 10 most counted bird species remained unchanged, but there were variations within the order of the group.

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!

One of the most surprising trends from the data is a decline in the frequency of occurrence of the Laughing Kookaburra across southeast Australia. Read the full article here.

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.

You can download the 2017 results infographic here

You can download the 2017 species list for Australia here