JOIN THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT!

Become a citizen scientist and win your own Catio or birding experience in Zoo Atlanta’s Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest

ATLANTA – February 9, 2023 – In advance of one of the largest annual migrations for native birds in North America, citizen scientists and birders of all experience levels are encouraged to participate in the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count for an opportunity to contribute to valuable data and for a chance to enter Zoo Atlanta’s Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest.

 The Great Backyard Bird Count: Taking place from February 17 through February 20, 2023, the Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual event in which people observe and report birds seen in their areas. Through what is now regarded as the largest biodiversity-focused citizen science project in the world, scientists gain an understanding of bird populations ahead of migration; explore the ways birds are affected by changes in the environment; and examine changes in the ranges of individual species.

Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest: To encourage participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count, Zoo Atlanta will host the Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest, opening at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, February 17, 2023, and continuing through 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, February 24, 2023. To participate, entrants should visit the Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count website for information and an eBird checklist, available via the eBird mobile app or the eBird website. Submit an eBird checklist via email to bird@zooatlanta.org to be entered into a random drawing for one of two Grand Prizes.  

First Place Grand Prize will be the winner’s choice of a Catio outdoor cat environment or a birding experience at Zoo Atlanta with the Zoo’s Curator of Birds. The drawing’s Second and Third Place Prize winners will win a bag of certified bird-friendly coffee and a selection of bird-safe window decals, respectively. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

Special activities at Zoo Atlanta: Stop by Zoo Atlanta on Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19 to enjoy education stations devoted to getting started with the Great Backyard Bird Count. Activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are free with general admission.

As part of its conservation mission, both globally and locally, Zoo Atlanta is committed not just to raising awareness of issues facing wildlife, but also to empowering Members, guests, and social media followers to take steps in their everyday habits that can have a tangible impact on native animals, plants, and their ecosystems. More than 340 bird species, both native and migratory, travel through Georgia each year. In addition to threats from human-made challenges such as habitat loss, land development, and collisions with windows and other glass surfaces, according to Smithsonian Magazine, some 2.4 billion birds are killed in the U.S. each year by free-roaming, outdoor domestic cats.

Learn more and get full Birds, Backyards, and Beyond Contest details here at zooatlanta.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rachel Davis
Director of Communications
404.624.2812 – office
rdavis@zooatlanta.org

Gavin Johnson
Public Relations and Communications Specialist
404.624.5980 – office
gjohnson@zooatlanta.org

About Zoo Atlanta
A proud accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for animal care and welfare, Zoo Atlanta has a mission to save wildlife and their habitats through conservation, research, education, and engaging experiences. The Zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 200 species from around the world, many of them endangered or critically endangered. Highlights include giant pandas, including Ya Lun and Xi Lun, the only giant panda twins in the U.S.; one of North America’s largest zoological populations of great apes; and a global center of excellence for the care and study of reptiles and amphibians. Recent transformations include the African Savanna, featuring new and expanded habitats for African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, bontebok, warthogs, meerkats and rhinos; Savanna Hall, a state-of-the-art special event destination in the newly restored historic former home of the Atlanta Cyclorama; and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Plaza. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org.