Turn your bird-watching hobby into vital data for India's conservation. Learn how to use eBird and Merlin to contribute to the State of India's Birds report.
You are standing on your balcony in Bengaluru or walking through a park in Chandigarh. You spot a Coppersmith Barbet or a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets. Usually, you would just think, "Cool bird," and move on. But right now, bird populations across India are shifting due to rapid urbanisation and climate change. Scientists cannot be everywhere, but you and your smartphone are. By recording that sighting on eBird, you stop being a spectator and start being a data contributor to the State of India's Birds (SoIB) report. It is the ultimate low-effort, high-impact side quest for the environment.
In India, bird conservation isn't just for researchers in khakis; it is built into our legal and scientific framework. The primary authority for biodiversity is the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Section 41 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, mandates that every local body (Panchayat or Municipality) must constitute a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC). These committees are responsible for creating People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs). A PBR is a legal document that records local knowledge of flora and fauna. When you participate in a bird census, you are essentially providing the raw data that can be used to update these PBRs.
Furthermore, the State of India's Birds (SoIB) 2023 report is the most comprehensive assessment of Indian birds. It is a massive collaborative project involving 13 organisations, including the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), which functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The SoIB 2023 report analysed over 30 million observations contributed by over 30,000 birdwatchers across India.
Legally, under Section 36 of the Biological Diversity Act, the Central Government is required to develop national strategies and action plans for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Citizen science projects like the SoIB directly feed into these national strategies. While you are watching birds, remember that the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended in 2022) protects almost all wild birds in India. Documentation is encouraged, but disturbing nests, capturing birds, or using playback recordings to lure birds in protected areas can lead to legal trouble under Section 9 of the Act.
If you want to see how your local government is using funds for biodiversity or want to see the existing PBR for your ward, you can File an RTI online to ask your Municipal Corporation for the latest records.
Contributing to the national bird census does not require a PhD. It requires consistency and a bit of digital hygiene. Here is how you get started.
Before you head out, download two essential apps: eBird (for recording) and Merlin Bird ID (for identifying). Both are free and managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in collaboration with Indian partners like BirdCount India.
You don't need to go to a forest. Your backyard, college campus, or local "nalla" (drain) where birds congregate are all valid sites. There are two main ways to count:
Accuracy is everything. If the data is wrong, the SoIB report becomes flawed.
While you can submit checklists any day of the year, specific events provide the "snapshot" data scientists love. Mark these on your calendar:
Your data doesn't just sit in the app. Go to the State of India's Birds portal to see how your sightings contribute to the national map. You can see if the birds in your district are "Increasing," "Stable," or in "Decline."
If you notice a specific bird habitat (like a local wetland) is being encroached upon or used as a dump, your eBird data is your evidence.
Birding is also documented to improve focus and reduce eco-anxiety. If the state of the environment feels overwhelming, spending 20 minutes counting birds can be a form of grounding. For more resources on staying balanced while doing civic work, check out these Mental health helplines (iCall, Vandrevala, NIMHANS).
Citizen science sounds seamless, but the transition from "person with a phone" to "contributor to national policy" has a few friction points.
The "Reviewer Flag" Anxiety: If you report a bird that is rare for your location or season, an eBird reviewer (a local expert volunteer) will email you asking for "documentation." Many young birders feel like they are being accused of lying and stop reporting.
The "Ghost" BMC: Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, your local municipality must have a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC). In reality, many exist only on paper or haven't updated their People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) in years.
GPS Jitters: The eBird app sometimes struggles with precise location pins in dense urban "gullies" or under heavy monsoon cloud cover.
The "Common Bird" Trap: People often only record "cool" birds like Owls or Woodpeckers and skip the Crows, Mynas, and Feral Pigeons. This creates "presence-only" data which is less useful for SoIB.
Copy, fill in the [highlighted] bits, and send.
If you want to see if your bird data is actually being legally recorded by your city, send this via the RTI Online portal to your State’s Urban Development Department or your Municipal Corporation.
Subject: Information regarding People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) for [Your Ward/Area Name]
Text: Under the Right to Information Act, 2005, please provide the following information regarding the implementation of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002:
Once you have 6–12 months of data, you can proactively reach out to your local body.
To: [Municipal Commissioner / BMC Chairperson Email] Subject: Submission of Citizen Science Bird Data for [Ward Name] PBR
Text: Dear Sir/Madam, I am a resident of [Area] and a regular contributor to the eBird/State of India's Birds (SoIB) project. Over the last [Number] months, I have documented [Number] species of birds in our ward, including [mention 1-2 interesting species like 'migratory Blue-tailed Bee-eaters'].
Under Section 41 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the BMC is responsible for maintaining the People’s Biodiversity Register. I would like to offer my documented observations to help update the PBR for our area. You can view the real-time data for this location here: [Link to your eBird profile or the Hotspot link].
I am happy to provide further details or photos to support the official documentation.
Subject: Re: Documentation for [Bird Name] at [Location]
"Hi [Reviewer Name], thank you for reaching out. I understand [Bird Name] is unusual for this location. I observed the bird for about 5 minutes at a distance of 10 metres. I noted its [describe specific feature: e.g., 'distinct white eyebrow and orange belly']. It was calling with a [describe sound]. While I couldn't get a photo, these features match the description in the Merlin/Grimmett field guide. Let me know if you need more details or if I should change it to 'Bird sp.' instead."
No. Most birders in India use their ears and binoculars. The eBird platform accepts sightings without photos as long as you provide a clear description for rare birds. For common birds like the Red-vented Bulbul, no proof is needed. Your "observation" is the primary data point, not the photograph.
It is definitely not cheating. In fact, "Stationary Counts" from balconies are vital for understanding how birds adapt to urban concrete jungles. Just ensure you select "Stationary" as the observation type and stay for at least 15 minutes to get a representative sample.
No, it is completely free. eBird and Merlin are non-profit tools. In India, the data is coordinated by BirdCount India, a partnership of NGOs and groups like the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF). You are donating your time and data, not your money.
Use the Merlin Bird ID app first. If it’s still a mystery, you can record it as "Bird sp." (meaning "species unknown") in your checklist. It’s better to be honest than to guess wrongly. You can also upload a photo to the "Ask ID" groups on social media and update your checklist later.
While your individual tweet or Instagram post isn't a legal record, your data on eBird feeds into the State of India’s Birds (SoIB) report. This report is used by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for conservation planning. Your data becomes "official" when it is aggregated into these national assessments.
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