Prompt Cast
The Competitive World of Birdwatching: Counting and Observing as Many Bird Species as Possible
TLDR Birdwatching enthusiasts have turned their hobby into a competitive sport, attempting to view and count as many bird species as possible in a single year. The record for the most birds ever observed by one person is held by Peter Kastner with over 9,800 species, and the current record for the Big Year competition stands at 840 species.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Birdwatching enthusiasts have turned their hobby into a competitive sport, with some attempting to view and count as many bird species as possible in a single year.
02:14
Birdwatching originated from the 19th century trend of collecting bird's eggs and stuffed birds, but evolved with the development of optics and the ability to observe birds from a distance, leading to the creation of birdwatching groups and the publication of bird guides.
04:03
The number of bird species you can observe depends on where you live, with Colombia having the most species in the world, and the record for the most birds ever observed by one person is held by Peter Kastner with over 9,800 species.
05:56
In the early years of the Big Year competition, birders observed hundreds of species, with the record increasing from 572 in 1953 to 699 in 1979.
07:58
In 1998, Sandy Comito set a new record for the Big Year competition by observing 745 species, including four birds that were not on the American Birding Association's list.
10:03
Birds are not evenly distributed, and a Big Year typically involves observing over 90% of the birds in the first few months, with the rest of the year dedicated to finding rare species; the record for the Big Year was broken in 2013 and again in 2016, with the current record standing at 840 species.
12:03
Big Years have become popular in other countries, with records being set for the most birds observed in a single calendar year and even in a single season.
