Christmas Bird Count
When: 14 December 2026 – 5 January 2027 (the 127th count)Held between 14 December and 5 January every year; each local count picks one day in that window.
Add to my calendarThe longest-running community bird survey: volunteers count every bird in a fixed circle 15 miles (24 km) across on one day, and the results have tracked bird populations since the first count in 1900.
How to take part
- Find a count near you with Audubon’s CBC Circle Finder and register with its compiler.
- Join a field team, or, if your home is inside a count circle, count birds at your feeder on the count day.
Organised by the National Audubon Society (in Canada, Birds Canada). Full details and registration: audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count.
Bring a checklist
A field survey sheet with tally boxes suits a count: one column per stop or hour.
Open the field survey sheetDates checked on 2026-10-13 against the organiser’s page. Always confirm with the organiser before you go.
More dates for birders
- Great Backyard Bird Count · 12–15 February 2027
- Global Big Day · Next: expected Saturday 8 May 2027 (it is held on a Saturday in early to mid May; in 2026 it was 9 May)
- World Migratory Bird Day · Next: expected 8 May and 9 October 2027 (the second Saturdays of May and October; in 2026, 9 May and 10 October)
- Aussie Backyard Bird Count · 19–25 October 2026
- RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch · Next: expected 29–31 January 2027 (the last weekend of January; in 2026 it was 23–25 January)