FAQ

CanAvian is a network of organizations committed to making data on birds in Canada more available and accessible. The core idea is simple: everyone benefits from accessible, reliable data.

• Discover and access data.
• Become a data contributor—see our recommendations for sharing your data.
• Contact one of our network partners.
• Stay connected.
• Request to join the Steering Committee.

Data can be found via one of our networked data portals. Most bird data within the network is integrated into the NatureCounts portal and available through the NatureCounts Explore Tool. This data is provided in NatureCounts’ format (standardized data exchange schema).

To access additional data in raw formats you may visit individual portals, such as the point count sensor or ARU sensor on the WildTrax portal or the Motus Dashboard of the Motus portal.

We support multiple formats of avian data including avian point count data, remote camera data, radio telemetry data, autonomous recording unit data, raw observational data, and more, with the capacity for expansion and adaptation as needed.

Can’t find the data you’re looking for? Let us know or suggest a dataset and we will do our best to try to include it in our network by coordinating with the data owner.

To ensure consistency and interoperability, point count survey and ARU methods have been aligned, this way ARU data in WildTrax can be downloaded in a point count format via the point count sensor. Metadata fields for locations and other key attributes have also been standardized, simplifying the process of integration, analysis, and sharing between human and acoustic data. Functions in the `wildrtrax` R package for working with WildTrax data will also work on reports from both sensors.

Not necessarily. Point count and acoustic data, including media files, can be accessed through WildTrax. Once projects are published in WildTrax, the data flows seamlessly to NatureCounts in regular intervals. If you need raw, published data, NatureCounts is your go-to. For media access or unpublished data, WildTrax is the better option. While each portal specializes in specific insights, all datasets are designed to be easily combined for comprehensive analysis, providing flexibility without adding complexity to your workflow.

WildTrax provides a standardized way to combine point count and ARU data, including active ARU projects with access to the original audio recordings. NatureCounts provides summarized tabular data of the species that were observed in tabular format that is updated annually. Nature Counts also provides access to other types of avian data like nest searches or species specific protocols.

Use the sharing your data guide or contact one of our collaborating data portals for more information.

Sharing your data has considerable benefits for individuals, organizations, and society as a whole, including:

• Improving research and advancing solutions for avian management and conservation challenges.
• Enhancing collaboration through data discovery and sharing.
• Facilitating scientific replication and transparency.
• Archiving data in a reliable and secure location.
• And many more…

CanAvian is overseen by a Steering Committee composed of members representing the existing collaborating organizations.

In order to sit on the Steering Committee, an organization must qualify as an eligible CanAvian collaborator. Eligibility can be achieved through one or more of the following mechanisms:

• Operating an avian data portal that fills a need within the open data workflow for bird data within Canada
• Hosting a large, aggregated dataset of bird data representing multiple organizations, which is contributed to one of the outlined data portals
• Being a founding member and/or funder of CanAvian

Requests for new collaborators are evaluated on a case by case basis by the Steering Committee. CanAvian strives to establish an inclusive membership in the management committee that is diverse with respect to age, sex/gender, geographical locale, ethnicity, work, and cultural and educational backgrounds, as appropriate to the initiative.