All datasets hosted on NatureCounts must be accompanied by metadata. Metadata describes the data’s scope, survey methods, ownership, and sometimes how to access related data. This ensures that you always know where data come from, and have any other relevant information you may need. The metadata are housed in the Bird Monitoring Data Registry (BMDR).

Before using any data from NatureCounts, it is important to consult the metadata for the dataset(s) you are using. This will help you understand how to get the most out of the dataset, and how to attribute the data and data owner in any published work.

Below is a portion of the metadata for the North American Breeding Bird Survey:

You can find metadata by clicking on the desired dataset on the datasets page of the NatureCounts website. You can also access the metadata from the “Download Data” and “My Downloads” tools, which are covered in other sections of this resource.

Next Section: Levels of Data Access