[10] eBird's goal is to maximize the utility and accessibility of the vast numbers of bird observations made each year by recreational and professional birders.

The eBird Database has been used by scientists to determine the connection between bird migrations and monsoon rains in India validating traditional knowledge.

[13] A study conducted found that eBird lists were accurate at determining population trends and distribution if there were 10,000 checklists for a given area.

A study pointing out that citizen-scientists possess different levels of skill and suggesting that analyses should incorporate corrections for observer bias used eBird as an example.

A web interface allows participants to submit their observations or view results via interactive queries of the database.

Internet tools maintain personal bird records and enable users to visualize data with interactive maps, graphs, and bar charts.

Data are stored in a secure facility and archived daily, and are accessible to anyone via the eBird web site and other applications developed by the global biodiversity information community.

In addition to accepting records submitted from users' personal computers and mobile devices, eBird has placed electronic kiosks in prime birding locations, including one in the education center at the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida.