Garden bird survey 2020

Birds are important indicators of the health of New Zealand’s environment and to help us discover and learn more about New Zealand garden birds, participate in this annual citizen science project.

This is run by organised by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. It takes place over nine days and people count the birds they see in their backyards, local parks or schools. In 2019 over 4,000 people took part – let's see if we can get a lot more for 2020.

How to get involved

1. Visit the NZ Garden Bird Survey website to get started.
2. Select a garden, or a local park or school grounds.
3. Choose any ONE day between 27 June and 5 July 2020.
4. Look and listen for birds on that day for ONE hour.
5. For each species, record the HIGHEST number seen or heard at one time.
6. Submit the results online at the NZ Garden Bird Survey website

If you're wondering why do we do this in winter? It may seem odd – but in fact it makes sense. We are more likely to see birds in our gardens in winter, because they’re attracted in when there’s less food for them in the wider environment. This means that we get better results, showing the true state of our garden birds.

For further information on doing the survey, why your contribution matters, resources for schools and feathered fun activities: https://gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz