Garden Bird Watch

Enjoy birdwatching, or interested to learn more about birds you see in our parks and gardens?

Join us for Garden Bird Watch to collect valuable data about garden birds, which contributes to their conservation.

Garden Bird Watch April 2024

Survey period: 6 to 14 April 2024, 7am to 10am
Registration deadline: 20 March for new volunteers and 24 March for returning volunteers
Training: Practical training on 23 or 24 June 2024 at the Singapore Botanic Gardens
- This is compulsory for new volunteers. Find out more about the training.
What you need: You need an account with Volunteer.gov.sg to register.

About Garden Bird Watch

Garden Bird Watch is a citizen science initiative by NParks to engage the community to collect important data on garden birds across Singapore.

It is organised biannually as part of NParks' Community in Nature initiative.

Why this matters

The data you collect helps us track patterns in the bird populations over time. This information helps NParks to develop better park management and conservation measures to sustain and enhance these populations.

Who can participate

All volunteers must go through an online training.

If you are new to Garden Bird Watch, you must also attend a practical training workshop before you can participate.

You will learn basic survey and birdwatching techniques, as well as how to identify 34 bird species.

The training programme includes:

Online training video (about 2 hours long)

The recordings will be sent to you upon confirmation of your registration.

Practical training workshop at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (about 1 hour long)

This short field session allows you to try out the techniques taught in the online video.
You will be assigned a one-hour slot for the practical training. You can view the dates and indicate your preference in the registration form.

Slots will be assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis, with priority given to new volunteers.

Children under 12

Children under 12 can join the survey, but they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

What you need

No special equipment is required to take part. All you need is either:

A datasheet and pen, or
A smartphone with the SGBioAtlas app.

Although not required, a camera or binoculars can help you better observe and record the species.

What to expect

This is the typical process of taking part in Garden Bird Watch:

After you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with more details.
View an online training video and attend a practical training if you are new to birdwatching or wish to have a refresher. Find out more about the training.
A few days before the Garden Bird Watch, we will send you information about your assigned survey site and point count locations.
Head down to your site on any day within the survey period and conduct the survey at your assigned location. The survey should take no longer than two hours and can be conducted any time between 7am to 10am.
Submit your survey results via the SGBioAtlas app.

Download SGBioAtlas to share your biodiversity sightings!

Frequently asked questions

There are 34 species in total for you to identify, including both native and migratory species:

Native birds

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus)
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)
White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis)
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum)
Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
Swinhoe's White-eye (Zosterops simplex)
Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)
Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)
Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)
Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus)
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis)
Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans)
Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus moluccensis)
Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)
Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense)
Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)
House Crow (Corvus splendens)

Migratory birds

Amur Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone incei)
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)
Tiger Shrike (Lanius tigrinus)
Daurian Starling (Agropsar sturninus)

If you spot any species not listed here, you should record it under "Other species sighted".

No, the training will take approximately three hours and the survey itself will take no longer than two hours within the survey period (7am to 10am).

If you volunteer to do counts at more than one site, you may need to spend more time, but it is flexible according to your availability.

The training workshop is compulsory for first-time participants. Returning volunteers do not need to attend, but they can opt to attend as a refresher, especially if they have limited experience with birdwatching,

Find out more about the training workshop.

If you are familiar with bird identification, you can opt out of the online theory training. However, we still recommend that you join the practical training workshops to learn the point count survey techniques used in our Watches.

When you sign up on our registration form, there would be a portion that asks about your birdwatching abilities. Your skills as an advanced birdwatch will be very useful and appreciated, as we will assign advanced birdwatchers to more advanced sites.

You can also support our practical training workshops by helping out as a volunteer guide.

When you sign up, the registration form will require you to indicate your preferred location to carry out the survey at. Our team will then assign you a location that is within or close to your preference.

Alternatively, if you do not have a preference or would like to have a location that is further from your home, please either indicate the zone that you would prefer to conduct the survey at, or no preference in the registration form.

Yes, you can register online for groups of up to 5 people. When registering on Volunteer.gov.sg, look out for the question "Group Code" and input the same code for all members in your group. (e.g. GardenbirdWatch123 – please think of your own unique code).

Large groups should contact cin@nparks.gov.sg for more information on registration.

Contact us

For enquiries, please email cin@nparks.gov.sg with "Garden Bird Watch" in the email subject

Garden Bird Watch

Garden Bird Watch April 2024

About Garden Bird Watch

Why this matters