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| Wild birds outnumber humans 6 to 1, scientists calculate in extraordinary new study | Wild birds outnumber humans 6 to 1, scientists calculate in extraordinary new study |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| A group of researchers have successfully completed one of the biggest data studies of its kind ever conducted, with the lofty goal of counting how many wild birds inhabit Earth. | A group of researchers have successfully completed one of the biggest data studies of its kind ever conducted, with the lofty goal of counting how many wild birds inhabit Earth. |
| Their final figure was calculated by combining over one billion sightings by some 600,000 birdwatching contributors logged on the citizen science portal eBird, with additional scientific case studies. | Their final figure was calculated by combining over one billion sightings by some 600,000 birdwatching contributors logged on the citizen science portal eBird, with additional scientific case studies. |
| The combined data set was then fed into a scaling algorithm which can accurately extrapolate a tally, based on the figures provided for roughly 9,700 bird species. | The combined data set was then fed into a scaling algorithm which can accurately extrapolate a tally, based on the figures provided for roughly 9,700 bird species. |
| The researchers found there is a rough total of just over 50 billion wild birds on the planet, or more than six times the human population. | The researchers found there is a rough total of just over 50 billion wild birds on the planet, or more than six times the human population. |
| “Humans have spent a great deal of effort counting the members of our own species – all 7.8 billion of us,” says ecologist Will Cornwell, from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. “This is the first comprehensive effort to count a suite of other species.” | “Humans have spent a great deal of effort counting the members of our own species – all 7.8 billion of us,” says ecologist Will Cornwell, from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. “This is the first comprehensive effort to count a suite of other species.” |
| Some four species of wild bird were classified in the so-called ‘billionaire club’: the house sparrow, the European starling, the barn swallow and the ring-billed gull. | Some four species of wild bird were classified in the so-called ‘billionaire club’: the house sparrow, the European starling, the barn swallow and the ring-billed gull. |
| Meanwhile, roughly 12% of bird species are estimated to have a worldwide population of less than 5,000. | Meanwhile, roughly 12% of bird species are estimated to have a worldwide population of less than 5,000. |
| The scientists hope the method will take off and become more commonplace, allowing researchers to more effectively monitor multiple animal species with whom we share our planet. | The scientists hope the method will take off and become more commonplace, allowing researchers to more effectively monitor multiple animal species with whom we share our planet. |
| They do, however, admit to a certain, inevitable degree of uncertainty in the numbers, owing to birdwatchers seeking out certain species more than others, migratory patterns among certain types of birds and a variety of additional, complicating factors. | They do, however, admit to a certain, inevitable degree of uncertainty in the numbers, owing to birdwatchers seeking out certain species more than others, migratory patterns among certain types of birds and a variety of additional, complicating factors. |
| Instead, the final rough figure is a median average from estimates generated over the course of the study. The actual mean average is 428 billion. | Instead, the final rough figure is a median average from estimates generated over the course of the study. The actual mean average is 428 billion. |
| In future, the scientists are hoping to repeat the research every few years to provide an even more accurate bird count, while helping conservation efforts via population-change monitoring. | In future, the scientists are hoping to repeat the research every few years to provide an even more accurate bird count, while helping conservation efforts via population-change monitoring. |
| “By properly counting what's out there, we learn what species might be vulnerable and can track how these patterns change over time – in other words, we can better understand our baselines,” says biologist Corey Callaghan, from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig in Germany. | “By properly counting what's out there, we learn what species might be vulnerable and can track how these patterns change over time – in other words, we can better understand our baselines,” says biologist Corey Callaghan, from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig in Germany. |
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