What data and resources are available on BirdLife DataZone?

BirdLife DataZone is the public data and knowledge platform of BirdLife International, a conservation science organisation. It is aimed at decision-makers, conservation practitioners, researchers and anyone who needs biodiversity data and tools related to birds. According to the site, it currently covers 11,185 bird species, 13,958 important sites for birds, 251 country profiles and 16 flyway profiles. The resources are organised into data, articles, topics, publications, tools and policy sections, and access to the platform does not require a stated fee or login based on the available information.

Bird and site data

The DataZone presents its core biodiversity data through a search interface with filters for species, site, country and flyway. The headline figures shown on the site are:

These figures indicate the scale of the underlying datasets: a global species list, a set of sites identified as important for bird conservation, and profiles organised by country and by migratory flyway. The site describes this as data, knowledge and tools intended to support conservation decision-making worldwide.

Reports and publications

The Publications section collects scientific reports and publications written by BirdLife independently or with collaborators. A prominent example is the flagship State of the World's Birds report. The sixth edition focuses on migratory birds and their flyways, and on what they reveal about the state of nature, the drivers of biodiversity loss, and the solutions needed to reverse declines.

Tools and policy resources

The Tools section provides BirdLife's conservation tools for evidence-based decision-making. The Policy section explains how BirdLife's science informs its work to advance conservation policy. Together these sections connect the underlying data to practical use in planning and policy.

Topics and latest articles

A Topics section groups the full range of BirdLife's science and policy resources by subject, and a Latest articles section highlights recent additions. Both are entry points for browsing rather than fixed datasets, so their contents change over time.

Contributing through the Globally Threatened Bird Forums

The site links to the Globally Threatened Bird Forums, where professionals and amateurs — birdwatchers, researchers or conservationists — can contribute information on bird species relevant to assessing their threat status and conservation. This is a route for adding to the evidence base rather than only consuming it.

How to use the platform

1. Start from the search interface and filter by species, site, country or flyway depending on your question.
2. Use the country and flyway profiles when you need a regional or migratory-route overview rather than a single-species record.
3. Go to Publications for in-depth reports such as State of the World's Birds.
4. Use Tools and Policy when you need to apply the data to decisions or policy work.
5. Visit the Globally Threatened Bird Forums if you have information to contribute on species threat status.

A practical limitation to keep in mind: the site states that it relies on donations to keep the service running, so availability of specific datasets or tools may change. For the most current figures and coverage, check the relevant section directly rather than relying on the counts quoted here.