Birders set a new world record May 9th for birds documented in a single day: A record-breaking 2.1 million bird observations were submitted to eBird during the annual Global Big Day, when birders reported 6,499 different species of birds and the locations of each bird reported! An all-time high of 50,824 participants submitted more than 121,000 checklists, shattering the previous single-day checklist total by 30 percent! Birders contributed their sightings from every continent toward the common cause of documenting birds worldwide during one day of spring migration - all while practicing social distancing.

The Global Big Day sightings were submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird program, which uses the data to power science, outreach, and conservation efforts around the world. This Global Big Day was unprecedented because it took place during a pandemic. Birders participated from home or where they could safely socially distance themselves from other people. Their record-breaking numbers are part of a larger trend that has become pronounced in recent months as birds and birding have become a safe and enjoyable outlet for many people worldwide.

For more information about the results of the Global Big Day, including nation by nation totals and other interesting data, see https://ebird.org/globalbigday