Allen's hummingbird perched on a red kangaroo paw plant

© GypsyPictureShow/Shutterstoc

Let the Great Backyard Bird Count begin!. Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count has begun! Time to pay more attention to our feathered friends and help scientists learn about wild bird populations. The event runs over four days and will see people using apps and websites to identify local birds and share their sightings from their backyards, or other favorite spots, for as little as 15 minutes a day.

Last year, the US had the highest number of participants, followed by India and Canada, with more than 7,000 bird species identified overall from 192 countries. The event, which began in the US in 1998, is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada.

So, whether you spot an Allen's hummingbird, like the one pictured on our homepage in southern central Mexico, a Northern cardinal, an American crow, or one of thousands of other bird species, your snapshot of local birdlife will be part of something much bigger, helping to track the movements of winter birds worldwide.