Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Crested Caracara
A bold, long-legged raptor with a black cap and bare orange face, often seen walking on the ground scavenging alongside vultures.
raptor
White-winged Scoter
The largest scoter, black-bodied with a white speculum patch in the wing and a comma-shaped white eye mark.
waterfowl
White-winged Crossbill
A boreal finch with a crossed bill and two bold white wing bars, specialized for feeding on spruce cones.
songbird
White-headed Woodpecker
An unmistakable pine-forest woodpecker with an all-white head set against a glossy black body.
woodpecker
Senegal Parrot
A compact West African parrot with a grey head, green back, and a bold yellow-to-orange V on its belly.
parrot
Green-cheeked Conure
A small South American parakeet with a scaly grey-brown chest, green cheeks, and a deep maroon tail.
parrot
Masked Trogon
A brilliantly colored Andean trogon with a glossy green back, black face mask, and a bright red belly.
other
Grey Shrikethrush
A plain grey-brown songbird with a rich, melodious song that belies its understated plumage.
songbird
Cackling Goose
A smaller, stubby-billed look-alike of the Canada Goose, formerly considered the same species.
waterfowl
Brant
A small, dark sea goose with a stubby black bill and neck, closely tied to coastal eelgrass beds.
waterfowl
Rock Dove
The wild cliff-dwelling ancestor of all domestic and feral pigeons, native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
other
Mexican Whip-poor-will
A southwestern mountain nightjar, virtually identical to the Eastern Whip-poor-will but distinguished by a slower, huskier song.
other
Least Tern
The smallest tern in North America, a fast, energetic flier that nests in open sand and gravel and is especially vulnerable to disturbance and habitat loss.
seabird
Five-striped Sparrow
A boldly patterned, black-throated sparrow found in the US only in a handful of remote southeastern Arizona canyons.
songbird
Western Marsh Harrier
The largest of the harriers, a broad-winged raptor that quarters low over reedbeds with wings held in a shallow V.
raptor
Sagebrush Sparrow
A gray-headed, sagebrush-obligate sparrow that runs on the ground with its tail cocked, split from Bell's Sparrow in 2013.
songbird
Surf Scoter
A black sea duck with a bold multicolored bill patch, males marked with white patches on the forehead and nape.
waterfowl
Reed Bunting
A slim bunting of reedbeds and wetlands, with breeding males sporting a bold black head and white collar.
songbird
Red Crossbill
A stocky finch with uniquely crossed mandibles specially adapted to pry seeds from conifer cones.
songbird
Pacific Wren
A tiny, dark, round-bodied wren of humid Pacific coast forests with a fast, buzzy, high-pitched song.
songbird
Slaty-tailed Trogon
A large lowland trogon with a plain slaty undertail, a red belly, and a bright yellow bill in the male.
other
Northern Hawk Owl
A long-tailed, falcon-shaped boreal owl that hunts by day from exposed treetop perches like a hawk.
owl
Piping Plover
A tiny, pale, sand-colored plover of North American beaches, named for its plaintive piping whistle.
shorebird
Little Egret
A small, elegant, all-white egret of the Old World with a slim black bill and striking yellow feet on black legs.
wading-bird