Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Belted Kingfisher
A large, shaggy-crested, rattling-voiced kingfisher of North American waterways, in which the female is more colorful than the male.
other
Waxwing
A crested, silky pinkish-grey bird with a black mask, yellow-tipped tail, and waxy red wingtips, best known for irruptive winter berry-feasting flocks.
songbird
Oak Titmouse
A plain gray-brown, crested songbird tightly tied to oak woodlands of California, notable for its lack of bold field marks.
songbird
Macaroni Penguin
A crested penguin with flamboyant golden-yellow plumes sweeping back from the forehead, once among the most abundant penguins on Earth.
seabird
Grey Go-away-bird
A pale grey, crested relative of the turacos, named for its nasal, far-carrying call that sounds like it is saying "go-away."
other
African Paradise Flycatcher
An elegant sub-Saharan African songbird with a glossy blue-black crested head, chestnut plumage, and long trailing tail streamers in males.
songbird
Red-whiskered Bulbul
A perky, crested bulbul with white cheeks, a small red "whisker" patch behind the eye, and a red vent, popular in gardens across South and Southeast Asia.
songbird
Scaled Quail
A bluish-gray desert quail nicknamed "cottontop" for its bushy white crest, with feathers edged to create a distinctive scaly look.
gamebird
Malachite Kingfisher
A tiny, jewel-like African kingfisher with a vivid blue-and-black barred crest and rufous underparts.
other
Amazon Kingfisher
A large green-backed kingfisher of Central and South American waterways, with a shaggy crest and a chestnut breast band in males.
other
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
A glossy black forest drongo with a spiky forehead crest and two extraordinary wire-like tail streamers ending in rackets.
songbird
Guianan Cock-of-the-rock
A brilliant yellow-orange bird of the Guiana Shield with a striking disc-shaped crest, famed for the males' elaborate lek courtship displays.
other
Spinifex Pigeon
A small, richly cinnamon-colored ground pigeon of arid spinifex country, with a tall pointed crest and bold red-and-black facial markings.
other
Eurasian Hoopoe
An unmistakable pinkish-brown bird with a tall erectile crest, boldly barred wings, and a long curved bill, named for its distinctive call.
other
Hooded Merganser
The smallest North American merganser, with males sporting a dramatic fan-shaped black-and-white crest.
waterfowl
Pileated Woodpecker
North America's largest common woodpecker, a crow-sized, mostly black bird with a flaming red crest, famous for excavating large rectangular holes in dead trees.
woodpecker
Hoatzin
A bizarre, prehistoric-looking bird with a spiky crest, bare blue face, and a highly unusual digestive system that ferments leaves like a cow, giving it a distinctive odor.
other
Wood Duck
Widely considered one of the most strikingly colorful ducks in North America, the male wears an iridescent green-and-purple crest, chestnut breast, and bold white facial markings.
waterfowl
Great Bowerbird
The largest bowerbird species, plain grey-brown overall with a usually concealed lilac-pink nape crest, famed for building and decorating the largest avenue bowers of any bird.
songbird
Umbrella Cockatoo
A large, entirely white Indonesian cockatoo named for its broad, rounded white crest that fans open like an umbrella.
parrot
Palm Cockatoo
A huge, sooty-black cockatoo with a wispy crest, bare red cheek patches, and a massive bill used to crack hard nuts.
parrot
Hartlaub's Turaco
A green, forest-dwelling turaco of the East African highlands, marked by bold white facial markings and a glossy blue-black crest.
other
Great Blue Turaco
The largest of all turacos, a heavy-bodied, slate-blue rainforest bird with a tall black crest and a huge yellow-and-red bill.
other
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
A softly pink and white cockatoo of Australia's dry interior, best known for its brilliant red, yellow, and white banded crest.
parrot