Free year in review
Your birding year in numbers
Your year list is every bird species you saw or heard between January 1 and December 31; drop in your sightings file below and we’ll count it for you, with your new lifers, first bird of the year, best month and biggest day.
It works with your eBird export, an iNaturalist export, or a list you type in. Your file is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded. When you’re done, make a “This year” card with a classic painting of your bird of the year, ready to share.
Updated
Add your sightings
Drop your file here, or choose it from your computer
Works with your eBird export (MyEBirdData.csv), an iNaturalist CSV export, or a typed list.
Where do I get my file?
From eBird
In My eBird, click Download My Data (on a phone, tap Manage first), then Request My Observations. eBird emails you a link to a .zip file. Drop the .zip here, or the MyEBirdData.csv inside it. Step by step, with pictures
From iNaturalist
On the iNaturalist website, open Export Observations (inaturalist.org/observations/export), filter to your own observations of birds, and download the CSV. How to back up your records
A typed list
Type or paste one bird per line. Add a date to each line if you have it, and we can show your months and your biggest day too. Like this: Baltimore Oriole, 5/14/2026
What your year in numbers shows
Drop in your file and you’ll see these for 2026. Some need dates or times, so a typed list shows fewer.
- Species this year: every different species you saw or heard, each counted once. “Gull sp.” and hybrids don’t count, the same as under the American Birding Association’s rules.
- New lifers this year: species you saw for the first time ever. This needs your whole list, not only this year’s.
- First bird of the year: from your earliest checklist after midnight on January 1.
- Checklists: how many eBird checklists you submitted. For iNaturalist, it counts bird observations.
- Hours birding: time on checklists that recorded a duration, added up.
- Best month: the month with the most species.
- Biggest day: the date you saw the most species, across all that day’s checklists. A Big Day or a Christmas Bird Count often shows up here.
- Places: how many different places you birded, and in how many states.
- Your card: your totals with a classic painting of the bird you pick. It never shows places, dates or your list.
Questions people ask
How many birds did I see this year?
Drop your sightings file above, and the first number is your answer: every species you saw or heard in 2026, each counted once. It also shows how many were new lifers, your first bird of the year, your best month and your biggest day. If you keep your list in eBird, My eBird shows your year total too (see the next question).
How do I see my year list in eBird?
In My eBird, look at the summary under your name: the number below “Year” is how many species you’ve reported this year, and clicking it opens the full list. You can narrow that list to one region, and My eBird’s bar charts compare your total with earlier years, up to the same date. In the eBird app, tap the green numbers in My eBird to see the list for that place and time. For an earlier year, open your Sightings List and pick the year with the calendar icon.
Where do I find my stats in eBird?
Your stats are in My eBird: this year’s, this month’s and today’s species totals sit under your name, and the bar charts compare your species and checklists with earlier years. Your eBird profile adds a map shaded by where you’ve birded, which you can switch between species, checklists and media. For figures eBird doesn’t show at a glance, like your best month or biggest day, download your data and drop it in above.
Is there a “Wrapped” for birding?
Yes, a couple, but they come once a year on their own schedule. eBird emails a personal year in review, called eBird Recounted, in January. iNaturalist makes a personal Year in Review for its users around late November or early December. This page works any day from your own file, December 31 included, and ends with a card you can share.
What is a year list?
A year list is every bird species you see or hear in one calendar year, and it goes back to zero on January 1. A life list, by contrast, never resets. Many birders keep both: the life list as their record, the year list for fun. More in life list vs year list.
When does a birding year start and end?
A birding year runs from midnight on January 1 to 11:59 pm on December 31, by your local time. That’s how the American Birding Association times an official Big Year, and most birders use the same calendar for their own year lists. The first bird you identify after midnight is your first bird of the year.
What counts as a new lifer?
A new lifer is a species you saw or heard for the first time in your life, so a “new lifer this year” is one whose first-ever sighting falls in 2026. To find them, the tool needs your whole list, which is why your complete export works best. A bird you’d seen before counts on this year’s list but isn’t a lifer.
How many birds is a good year list?
There’s no standard number; a good year list is one that beats your own last year. Most of us bird near home, and totals swing with how often you get out and where you travel. For scale, the highest published Big Year in the US and Canada we found is 839 species (John Weigel, 2019), and Guinness World Records lists 6,852 for the world (Arjan Dwarshuis, 2016). Details in birding records.
What is a Big Year?
A Big Year is a year list taken as a challenge: trying to see as many species as you can in one calendar year. Most people never do one, and you don’t need to. A year list kept for fun works the same way, just without the miles. See life list vs year list.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Your file is read by your own browser, and your sightings never leave your device unless you choose to download or share your card. The card itself carries only your totals and one painting: no places, dates or list.
Facts checked: October 9, 2026.