Helpful Hints for Selecting a Map

FeederWatch maps show the distribution and abundance of feeder bird populations.

Current Season Maps: Where is the species being seen this winter?

The Current Season maps show where birds are being reported by FeederWatch participants who have submitted data online. These maps show how the distribution and abundance of bird populations have changed over the course of the current (or most recent) FeederWatch season. The maps scroll through each two-week count period from November through April.

Specific Season Maps: Where was the species reported in a previous season?

Animated by month

These maps show month-to-month changes
in bird populations within a single winter. Colors on the map show the average number of birds seen at locations in the region during each month. The map shows an animated series of these monthly averages within a single winter.

Year-end summary

This type of map shows the distribution and abundance of one species for a specific winter. The data collected throughout the season were averaged to show a static map representing a single, year-end summary for each species.

Specific Month Maps: How have distributions changed across years in a certain month?

These maps show a series of summaries for a particular month, animated across all FeederWatch winters. You can see where a specific species was reported in a particular month and compare the species’ range for that month over time.

All Seasons: How has the range of a species changed over time?

FeederWatch is a long-term monitoring program, and these maps show how bird populations have changed since the FeederWatch project began. What you see in these maps is a series of year-end summaries animated over time. These maps are good for showing gradual range shifts over time or the more dramatic range fluctuations of irruptive species. For a good example of irruptive movements, take a look at the Common Redpoll maps.