The European Bird Census Council (EBCC) is an association under Dutch Law of like-minded expert ornithologists co-operating in a range of ways to improve bird monitoring and atlas work and thereby inform and improve the management and conservation of bird populations in Europe.

The aims of EBCC are to:

• Bring together ornithologists who are interested in the study of distribution, numbers, and demography of European birds.
• Encourage monitoring of bird distribution, numbers, and demography aimed at improving their conservation and management.
• Promote rigorously planned monitoring with clear objectives.
• Detect and if possible, understand changes, and provide relevant agencies with sound information to base conservation and management actions.
• Promote the development of indicators of the changing capacity of European landscapes to support wildlife.
• Encourage communication and collaboration between organizations, institutions, and individuals interested in monitoring bird populations and their distribution.
• Promote the exchange of news, ideas, and expertise through its journal, Bird Census News, webpage, social media (Facebook, Twitter), and through its conferences and workshops.
• Host major international conferences on a 3-year cycle across Europe with published proceedings.
• Work closely with international ornithological and conservation organizations, and encourage links between ornithologists, land managers, and policymakers.
• Run major international projects such as the European atlases (EBBA1 and EBBA2) and monitoring schemes (PECBMS, EBP, etc)
• Encourage and create specialist working groups to tackle relevant topics.