Black-necked Stilts. Photo: Michelle MacKenzie.
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California Bird Atlas Starts With You
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Thank you for joining the CBA newsletter, the official source for updates from the newly formed nonprofit organization California Bird Atlas (CBA).
We’re thrilled to announce CBA’s flagship project, California’s first-ever statewide Breeding Bird Atlas, which will launch on January 1, 2026, and run year-round for five years. We are extremely grateful for the growing roster of CBA Founding Partners whose financial support made this launch possible. We’re also deeply grateful to the individual donors who have already played a critical role in getting this initiative off the ground.
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While 44 other U.S. states have conducted at least one statewide Atlas, California has historically approached this work at the county level. These efforts have produced valuable data, yet only 15 of the state’s 58 counties — mostly in coastal or urban areas — have published Atlases. As a result, more than 80 percent of California’s land area has never had its breeding birds documented in a comprehensive, published Atlas using this globally recognized gold-standard approach.
Successfully developing and organizing a statewide Atlas in a state as large and ecologically diverse as California will be no small feat. But with advances in data collection platforms like eBird and the rapidly growing number of birders, a comprehensive effort is finally achievable.
Whether you’re donating, helping spread the word, or preparing to survey for the Atlas once we launch, you’re part of one of the most ambitious community science efforts in our state’s history. Together, we will produce the most complete dataset ever assembled on the distribution, status, and behavior of all breeding bird species across California’s habitats and counties. This dataset will help agencies, land managers, and conservation leaders make better-informed decisions about habitat management, conservation planning, and climate adaptation.
We’ll be sharing much more information in the coming weeks and months about how to get involved.
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But today, in the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we’re asking for your support. If you’re in a position to do so, we hope you’ll consider making a donation to CBA.
Your support helps us build the foundation for a successful statewide Atlas — from developing volunteer resources to funding the science of the project’s infrastructure.
Thank you for being here at the very beginning of California Bird Atlas. We’re incredibly grateful you’re with us, and we can’t wait to share more updates as we head toward launch on January 1, 2026. Please consider supporting the project here — we truly appreciate it.
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California Thrasher. Photo: Alecia Smith/California Bird Atlas.
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Support the Atlas Through Sponsored Species Program
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Right now, Founding Partners giving $10,000+ can Sponsor a Species to represent their organization or a loved one — species are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve your species, email Van Pierszalowski at van@californiabirdatlas.org.
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For more information, see the California Bird Atlas website here.
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