A record-breaking total of 8,132 different species of birds was reported during this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, including this Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan that was photographed in Colombia by Gabriel Willow. A Pinyon Jay was one of the birds was photographed in Utah by GBBC participant Kaleb Anderson. Close to home, a Downy Woodpecker was photographed by Alva Steury in Indiana during the 2025 GBBC.

The final count is in and the numbers are beyond record-breaking, with birders worldwide reporting 8,132 different species of birds during the worldwide winter bird count – The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). That’s an increase of 212 species over last year’s total! The world of birders joined together to identify and count all the birds they could find during the 4-day global event from February 14 to 17. American birders were most active as they submitted a record number of eBird checklists that included a total of 673 different species, and Canadian birders found 247 species of birds. Mexican birders topped those species totals with 791 recorded (usually, the closer we get to the equator, the more species of birds can be found).

Colombian birders’ led all nations with a species total of 1,376, followed by Ecuador with 1,137, and Brazil with 1,094. Birders in India were next worldwide and led the Eastern Hemisphere in a big way with a total of 1,087 species of birds. Kenya led African nations with an even 700 species. The nations with the most birders participating in descending order were the United States, India, Canada, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Taiwan. Congratulations to everyone who participated and made this important annual winter event such a success on a worldwide scale!

If you are interested in learning more about the species totals for all nations and subregions of the world, you can refer to Top subregions - World - Great Backyard Bird Count (ebird.org) You can also check totals on a state by state level by clicking on the small circle (globe) above the word “World.” Then click the arrow in the “Change Region” box at the top of the page to “USA Lower 48” for example, and type in the name of the state in the “Region” box.

During the 2025 Great Backyard Bird Count, birders also submitted about 190,000 photographs with their eBird checklists, and you can see a file of some of the most impressive photographs of birds taken around the globe during the GBBC at Media Search - Macaulay Library and eBird. If you click on individual photographs you will see an enlarged photo with more information about the bird, the location where it was photographed, the photographer, and more. Also, be sure to click on the “More Results” button at the end of the photo collection a few times to see more exciting photographs of birds from around the world. The 2025 Great Backyard Bird Count is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada.