GREENVILLE — The 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, Feb. 17 through Monday, Feb. 20.

This is a free and easy event that engages bird watchers to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Last year, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded, according to audubon.org.

Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts. For those without a backyard, Dark County Park’s Shawnee Prairie Preserve, in Greenville, has a bird watching room with comfortable chairs, big glass windows and bird feeders attracting all types of birds outside of the windows.

To register, visit www.audubon.org/content/about-great-backyard-bird-count.