Global Big Day (GBD) is fast approaching, and bird lovers are gearing up for an exciting adventure in nature. Organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, GBD takes place annually on the second Saturday of May—this year, it’s Saturday, May 10th, 2025. On this day, bird enthusiasts and nature lovers around the world head outdoors to document as many bird species as possible in just 24 hours. These observations help scientists monitor bird populations, track migration patterns, and identify habitats in need of conservation.
What makes GBD truly special is that it’s open to everyone—whether you’re an expert birder or just starting out, there’s a place for you in this global effort to understand and protect the incredible diversity of birdlife.
Compete for the Cause: Join Our Team Challenge!
We’re thrilled to bring back our popular teams competition, and we’d love for you to be a part of it! Both national (individual islands) and multinational teams are invited to join in the effort to make a lasting impact on the birds and ecosystems of the Caribbean. We’re especially eager to see a team representing each Caribbean island, so if you don’t see your island listed here, now’s your chance to step up and take the lead (more details below).
In addition to hosting what is (unofficially) the most exciting birding competition in the region, we’ll also be raising funds to support our programs. These initiatives focus on capacity building, research, education, and outreach. This year’s fundraising theme, Help BirdsCaribbean Keep Soaring, is a call to action that ensures the continued success of our important work.
Why We Really Need Your Support this Global Big Day
Recent federal funding cuts have significantly impacted key programs that are vital to both Caribbean bird conservation and the well-being of the communities that live alongside them. Initiatives like the Caribbean Waterbird Census, the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring, and the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, among others, are at risk of not achieving their goals—such as providing critical training and resources to hundreds of Caribbean conservationists, conducting year-round monitoring of threatened migratory and resident species, and informing conservation actions that benefit both wildlife and local communities.
Take Action: Help Us Make a Difference
We are calling on you to unite with local birders to help bring attention to your island’s irreplaceable and incredible diversity of birds as well as the BirdsCaribbean programs that enhance our understanding and drive the action needed to protect these iconic species.
By participating, you and your team will play an important role in advancing our understanding of Caribbean birds and their habitats, showing the world just how incredible your island is.
Let’s Make This Year the Best Yet!
Last year we had 29 teams compete with members spanning across 39 countries and raising over $25,000US for scholarships for Caribbean conservationists. This year let’s take it to the next level—more islands, more energy, more data—and show the world how passionate and serious we are about bird conservation!
24 Joyous Hours of Birding, Exploring, and Making Friends!
During peak migration time in the spring, birders around the world head out to their favorite birding spots, or venture into new areas, to see, hear and record as many bird species as they can in a 24-hr period of time. Global Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. The data is entered into eBird checklists (more about using eBird below).
No matter where you are—at home, a botanical garden, beach, river or nature reserve—you can contribute important data about the birds around you. You don’t need to be an expert birder or spend the entire day looking for birds. Just 10 minutes of birding in your backyard or from your balcony will count too. Imagine, while enjoying your morning coffee, you can also be contributing valuable data for bird conservation.
Get Social for GBD: Team Up and Bird Together!
If you’re looking to make your GBD experience more social, consider teaming up with a friend or group. Pairs or groups can carpool, help out with tricky bird IDs, share equipment like spotting scopes.. and possibly snacks! We are calling on our community to bird together in virtual teams during Global Big Day and engage in friendly competition to see which team can:
- collectively see the most species of birds, and
- raise the most funds.
Additional recognition will be given to
- the team with the best outfit (we know you’ve got swag)!
- the “country/island team” that sees the highest proportion of their birds on Global Big Day (to control for differences in the number of species on each island!)
- the team with the best “find” of the day (unusual, rare, plumage aberration, etc.)
- the team with the best bird photo of the day (must be posted on eBird along with your list)
Last year the Piping Pawis from Trinidad and Tobago and the Gundlach Team from Cuba swept the competition. Will your team be the one to dethrone these champs?
The Best Global Big Day Starts with the Right Prep!
Ready to make the most of Global Big Day? Joining our teams competition is easy—just follow these simple steps to prepare for a successful birding adventure!
Step 1: Get Set Up with eBird
First things first, if you don’t already have one, download the eBird app and set up your account. You will need it to submit your checklist/s! It’s FREE and you can sign up here! Don’t forget to check out Getting Started with eBird to get familiar with the app.
Step 2: Join Your Island Team
By joining your island team, you’ll gain access to shared resources—if you don’t have binoculars or a field guide, other birders may be able to share.
If you wish to purchase a field guide, we recommend Birds of the West Indies, Second Edition field guide is available for purchase here. If you’re birding in the Lesser Antilles, this guide is highly recommended.
Chances are that your island already has an existing team! Team Up by heading over to our Givebutter BC GBD Teams page to find your team! Just click the ‘JOIN A TEAM’ button on the campaign page to get started.
Step 3: Choose Your Birding Location/s
Choose your birding location carefully. Local parks, nature reserves, and wetlands offer a wide range of species. Team leaders will be your best resource for advice on where to go and the best times to visit.
Want to Create Your Own Team?
Not seeing a team for your island and want to create your own? We love your initiative! Just email Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org to get set up. We’ll help you with the groundwork (including setting up your eBird trip report!) so that you and your crew can soar to GBD success! After setup, you’ll have full control to manage it, so be sure to really make it your own with a fun name, photos, and your own lingo.
All team leaders and members should then invite family, friends, colleagues, and members of your birding community to join your team and/or donate to your team. It helps to set your own personal fundraising goal to help your team reach its overall goal!
By inviting people to your team, you’ll be:
- raising awareness for BirdsCaribbean and the critical bird research and conservation work we do in the region,
- helping to raise funds to sustain our critical programs , and
- promoting Global Big Day, citizen science, and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.
If you can’t join the GBD team competition fun this year, you can still show support by making a donation.
We hope everyone, whether or not they join a team or fundraise, will commit to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 10), being sure to keep track of what you see and then entering that information into eBird.
Your support helps us keep soaring through 2025 and beyond
The insular Caribbean is a critical region for birds. There are 185 species that occur here and nowhere else in the world! In addition, the islands provide a winter home for numerous migrants—many stay 6 months or longer while others rely on the islands as stopover sites to rest and refuel during their long journeys north and south.
Building a strong regional conservation community is essential for the sustainable preservation of island birds and their habitats. Our programs are designed not only to protect bird species but also to empower the communities that play a vital role in conservation. However, recent funding cuts have threatened the continuation of these vital programs. Without adequate support, research and monitoring, capacity-building initiatives and career development opportunities for local communities are at risk. We rely on your help to ensure these programs remain in place, strengthening local knowledge and skills to manage and protect the natural environments that sustain the unique avian biodiversity of the Caribbean.
How your gift will be Used
This year, we are fundraising to ensure the continuity of our critical conservation programs, bridge the funding gap caused by federal cuts, and empower even more conservationists, scientists, and communities to protect and restore the vital birdlife and habitats of the Caribbean.
As with everything in the Caribbean, we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do this together! We need your help to do this!
The links for the field guides are “affiliate” links. If you purchase through these links, a portion of the sale supports BirdsCaribbean at NO additional cost to you. Thank you!
