Birding reaches new highs on Global Big Day 2026

Tufted Coquette, Lophornis ornatus © Josh Bajnath / Macaualay Library

Every May, across all continents, from the streets of Bukhara, to the high Andes of Junín, and the Rothera Research Station of Antartica, millions of people get outside and celebrate birds. This year, 2.1 million Merlin users joined Global Big Day, the single largest birding event on the planet, and helped paint a picture of bird populations around the world. 

Global Big Day is simple by design: spend any amount of time outside, record the birds you find, and add your observations to the global count. Whether you stepped out for ten minutes on your lunch break or spent the full 24 hours chasing species across your county, your observations mattered.

On 9 May, 2026, over 2 million birders documented 8,055 species — 73% of all bird species on Earth. 

In Peru, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Georgia, local clubs and field teams turned out in force to document the birdlife of their regions. 

Global Big Day is a celebration with a mighty cause, and this year, digital creators showed how fun birding can be, and how, for many people, birding is becoming a way of life. Creator Keisha Rock reframed the day as “The Super Bowl of birding,” sharing her own experience of birding transitioning from a weekend hobby to a lifestyle. Karen Explora shared a breathtaking video of her day in the field and @mastranto_biotech showcased how tools like Merlin are lowering the barrier to participation.

Merlin Sound ID helped fuel identifications around the world as people heard Corn Crakes in the farmlands of Greece, Four-colored Bushshrikes in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya, and Green-backed Firecrowns in the Chilean lowlands. Take a listen to some of the spectacular species calling around the world on Global Big Day:

The most-recorded species in Merlin during Global Big Day 2026 were:

  1. American Robin
  2. Eurasian Blackbird
  3. Northern Cardinal
  4. House Sparrow
  5. Red-winged Blackbird
  6. European Robin
  7. Eurasian Blackcap
  8. House Finch
  9. Common Chiffchaff
  10. Common Chaffinch

Global Big Day showcases how all people can come together to celebrate birds. This year, the highest number of people ever used Merlin in a single day from 203 countries, identifying and learning about the birds around them. Millions of our personal moments with birds contributed to one global event. To everyone who stepped outside on 9 May, thank you for being part of Global Big Day 2026.