One of AZFO’s main focuses since its founding has been exploring areas of Arizona where we
lack the full picture of the status and distribution of birds. To give birders another opportunity to
contribute to this goal, we launched the eBird Gaps Project in 2020. Through this project, birders
are encouraged to contribute to eBird, a global community science database, their sightings from
within five targeted and underbirded areas across five Arizona counties: Avra Valley (Pima and
Pinal), Cactus Forest (Pinal), Chavez Pass (Coconino), Hassayampa Plain (Maricopa), and Santa
Maria Mountains (Yavapai). Each of these areas show significant gaps in coverage, either with
few or no eBird reports in any season or with an absence of reports from particular seasons, and

each was selected through a review of available eBird data.

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We are conducting a campaign in 2026 to encourage birders to visit these area in months with the
fewest reports and to focus on particular species. The priorities for each area are in the
descriptions below. We encourage individuals to adopt one of these areas or specific locations in
an area to visit regularly. Nearby local birding groups, college research classes, or other
interested groups, when organizing field trips, might consider adding locations in one of the five

areas to visit.

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To submit your data, share checklists with the Gaps Project by tagging the username “AZFO
gaps” when submitting your eBird checklists. This will help AZFO keep track of participation in

the project and learn how to better refine and focus our goals.

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Links to information on the five areas and how to participate can be found below.

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​RESOURCES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AREA MAPS

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​FIELD SAFETY

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