JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages experienced Missouri birders to become citizen scientists by helping with the National Audubon Society’s 124th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, 2024.
The CBC is an annual bird census where thousands of volunteers across the U.S., Canada, and other countries go out over a 24-hour period on one calendar day to count birds between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.
The data on winter bird populations helps track the long-term status of species and large-scale trends. Each CBC has a coordinator who assigns portions of a 15-mile diameter count circle to participants to count all birds seen and heard over a 24-hour period.
Missouri hosts about 20 CBCs. Learn more at audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count and contact the CBC organizers listed for details on the specific count circles.