At the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, our mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Birds spark a deep wonder and endless fascination. They help us understand the living world and our connections to it. An estimated three billion birds have been lost in the last 50 years, signaling that we are degrading our landscapes and oceans at an alarming rate.

When we make changes and bird populations rebound, it signals hope that we can find ways to protect our wildlife and the natural world. Your support of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Annual Fund enables scientific discovery and the education of future leaders whose work will reverse the trend of declining biodiversity.

Make your gift to the Lab of Ornithology now

In the past, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Annual Fund dollars have supported:

Future priorities for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Annual Fund include:

How the Cornell Lab of Ornithology would use future gifts at the following levels:

  • $1,000will support two Cornell undergraduates to conduct research alongside Cornell Lab staff.
  • $2,500will cover streaming costs for two Cornell Lab Bird Cams for one year.
  • $5,000will provide registration and lodging for 20 attendees at the Sound Recording Workshop.
  • $10,000will fund a real-time acoustic monitoring station, which continually processes sound and provides alerts about the presence of species and conservation threats, such as chainsaws from illegal logging.
  • $15,000will cover the cost to plan and host a sound analysis workshop for researchers and conservationists in the Global South.

Message from the director

Professor Ian Owens, Louis Agassiz Fuertes Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

“The next five to 10 years will be critical to turn around declines in bird populations while we still have the chance. We are developing tools such as our eBird Trends maps, which use observations from nearly a million citizen-science contributors to show which birds are plummeting and to spur solutions to save them and their habitats. Thanks to our annual fund, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has the leading-edge science, high-tech tools, and wide-reaching support to protect vanishing birds.”

—Professor Ian Owens
Louis Agassiz Fuertes Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Contact

Connect with us to learn more about ways to give to the Lab of Ornithology Annual Fund by contacting a member of our staff or filling out a contact form here.

Every dollar adds up

We can do so much more with your support this year—and every year.

Make your gift to the Lab of Ornithology