The Christmas Bird Count began in 1900 when Frank Chapman suggested that teams change their tradition of shooting birds as a Christmas sport to simply taking a census of them. In the ensuing years, the idea has grown and the CBC has become a winter tradition for many birders across the country with friendly competitions among states and even circles. As the first citizen science project, the CBC has captured enough data over the years that results are now used by various scientific organizations to document changes in bird populations. For more history and a neat video, check out the National Audubon's page on the CBC history. Log in to add a count to the calendar or edit a current one.

• View results from previous CBCs or check Iowa Bird Life spring issues for a summary of Iowa's season.

The following documents may be downloaded and used for your count:

• CBC Report Form
• CBC Species List
• CBC Species Detail

All CBC counts must be held during one calendar day during the period of 14 December to 5 January. These are the CBC dates for this season. Click the cardinal icon to see the details.

Upcoming Counts