How can I contribute to BirdLife DataZone?

You can contribute to BirdLife DataZone in two main ways: by submitting information on bird species through the Globally Threatened Bird Forums, and by donating to support BirdLife's science. The forums are open to professionals and amateurs alike—birdwatchers, researchers, and conservationists—and the information shared there feeds into assessments of species' threat status and their conservation.

Contribute species information via the Globally Threatened Bird Forums

The DataZone's own invitation is direct: "Whether you are a professional or an amateur, a birdwatcher, researcher or conservationist, you can contribute information on bird species relevant to the assessment of their threat status and their conservation."

This matters because the DataZone is built on BirdLife's conservation science, which identifies the bird species at greatest risk of extinction, the most important sites for their conservation, the most urgent threats, the actions required, and the policies needed. Species-level observations and knowledge from contributors help inform that threat-status assessment work.

Who can take part

• Professional or amateur ornithologists
• Birdwatchers
• Researchers
• Conservationists

No credential requirement is stated—the platform explicitly frames participation as open across these groups.

How to do it

1. Go to the Globally Threatened Bird Forums from the DataZone homepage.
2. Contribute information on bird species relevant to assessing their threat status and conservation.
3. Your input supports the assessment process behind BirdLife's species data.

The expected result is that your species knowledge becomes part of the evidence base used to evaluate threat status and conservation needs.

Support BirdLife's science through donations

The DataZone states: "We rely on donations to keep this service running and help birds thrive around the world." If you want to sustain the platform rather than (or in addition to) contributing data, donating is the route offered on the site.

What your contribution connects to

The DataZone is powered by the collective expertise of the entire BirdLife Partnership. Its stated purpose is to give decision-makers and conservation practitioners state-of-the-art data, knowledge, and tools to conserve birds and biodiversity worldwide. The scale of the resource gives a sense of what contributions feed into:

Contributing through the forums therefore plugs into a system that also produces outputs such as the State of the World's Birds report—its sixth edition focuses on migratory birds and flyways, and on what they reveal about the state of nature, the drivers of biodiversity loss, and the solutions needed to reverse declines.

Choosing how to contribute

• If you have species-level knowledge or field observations, the Globally Threatened Bird Forums are the direct channel—especially relevant if your information bears on a species' threat status or conservation.
• If you want to keep the service running but don't have species data to share, donating is the option the site presents.
• If you're unsure where your expertise fits, note that the forums are explicitly open to amateurs and birdwatchers, not only researchers and conservation professionals.

One practical caveat: the site does not state any fee, membership, or login requirement for forum participation in the material available here, so check the forum itself for any registration steps before you plan to post.