The Christmas Bird Count: 2026–27 dates and how to join

Every winter, tens of thousands of volunteers across the Americas spend a day counting birds for the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The 2026–27 count, the 127th, runs from December 14, 2026 to January 5, 2027. Each local count picks one day in that window. Anyone can take part, beginners included, and it's free.

Key facts

• The 127th count runs from December 14, 2026, to January 5, 2027. Each local count picks one day in that window.
• The 125th count, in 2024–25, had 2,693 count circles, 83,109 participants and 44,259,423 birds counted.
• The first count, on Christmas Day 1900, had 27 birders holding 25 counts, who tallied around 90 species.
• Audubon says CBC data have been cited in more than 300 peer-reviewed articles.

Facts checked: September 30, 2026.

The 2026–27 count at a glance

The 2026–27 dates

December 14, 2026 through January 5, 2027.

The count period is the same every season, December 14 to January 5, whatever day of the week those dates fall on. Each local count picks one day inside that window, so the date near you depends on your area's organizer, called the compiler.

Audubon's compiler manual says the updated public map, showing each count's location and date, goes online in November. Some local groups announce their dates much earlier. Golden Gate Bird Alliance, for example, has already set the San Francisco count for Monday, December 28, 2026.

What happens on count day

Each count covers a fixed circle 15 miles (24 km) across. Once set up, a circle never moves, so its results can be compared year after year.

• A compiler runs each circle. They recruit and guide the volunteers, then send the circle's results to Audubon.
• Volunteers count every bird they see or hear, alone or in groups, during daylight on one calendar day. They record how many of each species, not just which species.
• Feeder watchers count from home, if they live inside the circle and have arranged it with the compiler beforehand. They report the most birds of each species seen at one time, so the same chickadee isn't counted over and over, and the hours they watched.
• Beginners are welcome. Audubon says the compiler will pair a beginning birder with an expert at first.
• "Count week" catches the extras. A species seen in the three days before or after count day, but not on the day itself, is noted as present ("cw"), without a number.

How to join a count near you

1. Find a circle. Audubon's CBC Circle Finder is linked from its "Join the Christmas Bird Count" page. When we checked on September 30, 2026, that link led to a page saying Audubon is building new tools for this year's count, and to check back soon. Until the map is up, ask your local Audubon chapter or bird club: many list their count dates and compilers on their own websites.
2. Register with the compiler well before count day. Audubon asks you to arrange this in advance. Say whether you'd like to join a field group or count at your feeder.
3. Ask about the plan. The compiler will tell you where to go, when to meet, and how to report.
4. Dress for a winter day outside. Counting can go on all day, so bring layers, water and a snack.
5. Send your numbers to the compiler. Audubon is clear that all counts must go through the official compiler, who submits the circle's results.

If there's no circle near you, anyone can propose a new one. Audubon's CBC pages explain how. For the 2025–26 count, Audubon expected more than 2,800 circles, from Canada to Chile.

A short history

Before 1900, some hunters had a holiday tradition called the Christmas "side hunt". They chose teams, went out with their guns, and the side that brought back the biggest pile of birds and animals won.

On Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an early officer of the young Audubon Society, proposed a new tradition: count birds instead of shooting them. That first year, 27 birders held 25 counts, from Toronto, Ontario, to Pacific Grove, California. Together they tallied around 90 species.

It has grown a long way since. The 125th count, in 2024–25, had:

• 2,693 count circles,
• 83,109 participants, including 10,652 feeder watchers,
• 44,259,423 birds counted.

The results matter. In Audubon's words, volunteers "collect data that power critical bird conservation work throughout the year." CBC data have been cited in more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, including the 2019 study in Science that documented the loss of nearly three billion North American birds since 1970.

Count day birds for your own list

The Christmas Bird Count is community science first. Its value comes from careful counting, the same way, in the same places, year after year. Your tally belongs to that effort.

A day in the field with experienced birders is also a lovely way to see new birds, and your own sightings are yours to keep too.

• Note what you saw, with the date and place, in whatever you use for your life list. A winter lifer found on count day comes with a good story.
• If you use eBird, you can also enter your own checklist. But Audubon's compiler manual explains that eBird checklists are not added to the CBC results automatically. So always give your counts to your compiler first.
• Start a year list. A count in early January is a fine start to a year list. (Here's the difference between a life list and a year list.)

Keeping the date and place with each new bird is what makes a list worth looking back on. It's also what a Birdfolio book prints beside every species. If you're curious, look inside a Birdfolio, or read what a life list is.

The Christmas Bird Count is a program of the National Audubon Society. Birdfolio has no connection with it or with Audubon.

Birdfolio is not affiliated with eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or iNaturalist.