National Bird Day 2027 Is Tuesday, Jan. 5: Bird Counts You Can Join This Winter

National Bird Day is Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027, a date the Avian Welfare Coalition (AWC) says it set in January 2002. It is also the last day of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, which the National Audubon Society says runs Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. We checked the official pages on Nov. 4, 2026; below are the dates, costs and sign-up steps for the three winter bird counts, plus a free tally sheet.

When is National Bird Day, and who started it?

Jan. 5, 2027 is a Tuesday. The AWC’s achievements page has an entry dated January 2002: “AWC establishes January 5th as National Bird Day, a day of action and education for captive birds.” Born Free USA wrote in a Dec. 31, 2014 post that “on Monday, January 5, we celebrated the 13th annual National Bird Day,” and said the day aims to “shine a spotlight on issues critical to the protection and survival of birds, both captive and wild.”

We do not claim the two groups run the day together. Neither had posted a 2027 event on the pages we checked, so no 2027 events are announced. The date is fixed, so the weekday moves: Wednesday in 2028, Friday in 2029, Saturday in 2030 and Sunday in 2031 (our calculation).

Winter bird counts around National Bird Day

Count	Dates	Cost	How to join
Audubon Christmas Bird Count	Mon., Dec. 14, 2026 to Tue., Jan. 5, 2027	No fee (Audubon, Dec. 2025)	Find the circle nearest you and register with your local compiler at christmasbirdcount.org
Project FeederWatch	Sun., Nov. 1, 2026 to the end of April 2027 (Fri., Apr. 30)	$18 annual fee for U.S. residents	Count birds at your feeders on two consecutive days; no minimum number of counts
Great Backyard Bird Count	Fri., Feb. 12 to Mon., Feb. 15, 2027	Free	Count for as little as 15 minutes, or as long as you wish

Sources: National Audubon Society (Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count pages, Dec. 14, 2025 release); Cornell Lab of Ornithology (FeederWatch). Weekdays are our calculation. The Christmas Bird Count date range is as Audubon states it “each year”; its Dec. 2025 release gave the same Dec. 14 through Jan. 5 window for last season’s 126th count, and we found no official number for the 2026-27 count.

How do you join the Christmas Bird Count?

Audubon says “participation must be coordinated in advance with a local count leader.” Its December 2025 release says: “To sign up, find the circle nearest you and register with your local compiler at www.christmasbirdcount.org.” The count began in 1900, according to Audubon, and last season’s was the 126th annual count.

What does Project FeederWatch cost, and how long is the season?

Cornell Lab of Ornithology calls FeederWatch “a November-April survey of birds.” Its instructions say the season “begins on November 1 and runs through the end of April,” and that count days are “two consecutive days when you count the birds and mammals at your feeders.” The annual participation fee is $18 for U.S. residents, and there is “no minimum required number of counts.”

When is the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2027?

Audubon says the 30th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) “will be held February 12-15, 2027,” and calls it “a free, fun, and easy event.” Participants can count for “as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish).” The four days run Friday to Monday, and Monday, Feb. 15 is also Presidents Day; see what is open on Presidents Day 2027. Mark the dates on the February 2027 printable calendar.

How do you count birds without counting them twice?

FeederWatch gives one rule. Record “only the largest number of individuals of each species in view simultaneously over the two-day count,” and “do not add your counts together.” Leave out “birds that simply fly over your count site.” Its instructions name Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, House Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch and Evening Grosbeak as feeder species.

Our free tally sheet lists those six birds and blank rows, with a column for each of two count days and one for the largest number seen at once. The rule is printed on it. For the other January dates, see our January 2027 dates list and the January 2027 printable calendar. Earlier in the season, the winter solstice falls on Dec. 21.