Birds are of vital importance to most ecosystems, including the forests where gorillas live. So here at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, we are always excited to join birders from around the world on Global Big Day – a colossal, global citizen science initiative – and count as many birds as we can at locations around Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
This year we counted 92 bird species, as we continued our tradition of welcoming local students to join our staff in the event.
Birds are important for worldwide conservation
“Global Big Day is important to me because it reminds me of the roles of birds – like crop pollination, seed dispersal and climate changes,” says Elias Nizeyimana, who serves as the conservation education coordinator at the Fossey Fund.
Among the 92 birds counted this year near Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, the critically endangered hooded vulture and the endangered gray crowned crane were especially noted. Worldwide, a remarkable 7,902 species were documented from 67,983 logged Global Big Day participants.
Elias Nizeyimana led students in bird watching on Global Big Day. Photo by Gabriel Nyirijuru
Passion for collaborative conservation
Student birder Uwashema Landrine says she enjoyed working as a team and learning all about various species of birds like the pink-backed pelican and the Lanner falcon, which she says was her favorite.
“Global Big Day is important to me because it refreshes my mind about bird identification and their role in pollinating crops,” says Uwashema. “This makes me feel better and understand that everyone’s contribution is required to conserve birds.”
Elias adds that he “felt empowered after seeing the commitment of both staff at Ellen Campus and local community members who participated in the celebration of the 2025 Global Big Day,” adding that these activities hold “promise for the future for birds, their research and conservation.”
In his role at the Fossey Fund, Elias works every day to educate students and members of the community about the importance of ecosystems and how we can contribute to conservation. The activities of Global Big Day connect to his vocation – in a big way (pun intended).
“As birds are beautiful creatures, part of nature and their roles connected to human life, Global Big Day urges me to learn more about birds, and enlarge my efforts and share experience with others, including young generations, toward bird conservation,” Elias says.
Our team and students counted 92 species of birds on Global Big Day this year! Photos by Gabriel Nyirijuru
Global Big Day is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which welcomes thousands of remote participants worldwide every year. Each year on Global Big Day, birds are counted internationally and data is reported directly to Cornell’s tool, eBird. This year, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was the leader in eBirder findings for Rwanda! Collecting data on these important species assists scientists greatly in creating a better picture of the health of the planet.
