The numbers have been crunched from February’s international Great Backyard Bird Count with over 555,000 participants in 202 countries.  From that, 7,538 species were identified.

In Canada, 253 species were observed, and Saskatchewan bird watchers saw 66 different bird species. Some examples from Saskatchewan include the snowy owl, ring necked pheasant, common redpoll, bald eagle, black-capped chickadee and the red-breasted nuthatch.

The four-day bird count is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audobon Society and Bird Canada.

The data is used to monitor global bird populations at a time where the fall migrations are over, and birds are not yet migrating for spring. It helps determine if factors like habitat loss are causing a decline.

Last year, over 384,000 people from 192 countries took part, and Canada had the third highest number of bird observation checklists submitted.