View over 200 game and nongame species on Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has released the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, an online guide to over 200 game and nongame species that breed in the Commonwealth.

Virginia has one of the highest bird diversities among states in the eastern U.S., according to DWR, which is due to its geographic position, topography and climate.

With that in mind, volunteers worked to collect data for the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas -- an online guide that documents the current geographic distribution and status of breeding birds throughout the state.

Birders, conservationists and nature lovers can visit the atlas to see over 200 species accounts and see insights into each species' status and range.

Visitors of the online guide can also discover which breeding birds Virginia gained or lost over the last few decades.

According to DWR, the atlas is one of the largest bird survey projects in Virginia, both in terms of geographic coverage (the entire state) and the number of species surveyed.

The project was made in partnership between DWR, the Virginia Society of Ornithology and the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech, along with many citizen science volunteers across the Commonwealth.

Over 1,400 volunteers participated, making the atlas Virginia's largest citizen science project to date. Volunteers contributed more than 80,000 hours of observation to collect data for the atlas.

For more information and to explore a variety of species, visit the guide's website.