A Sampling-event Dataset from Aerial Surveys of Northern Eurasian Waterbirds, 2014–2024

We present a comprehensive, decade-long (2014–2024) aerial survey dataset of northern Eurasian waterbirds, covering a broad northern Eurasian study area, with survey effort concentrated in the Russian Arctic and Subarctic. Surveys in a purpose-built light hydroplane covered 1,140,337 km of flight tracks across 67 administrative districts and a net, non-overlapping area of 1,918,845 km² (45.20–76.52°N, 35.49°E–180.00°E / 180.00°W–172.05°W). The dataset contains 97,638 georeferenced occurrence records, comprising 2 distinct survey components: marine (14%) and inland basin (86%) surveys. The 10 most abundant species (4 geese and 6 ducks) account for 76% of all individuals. Following spatial deduplication with survey-type grouping, the dataset encompasses 2,438,521 deduplicated individuals from 42 species in 19 genera, distributed as: marine surveys: 397,373 individuals (16%) from 34 species; basin surveys: 2,041,148 individuals (84%) from 42 species. These records provide a spatially explicit baseline for analyses of broad distribution patterns and conservation planning in surveyed regions of northern Eurasia.