Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Phainopepla
A slim, crested desert songbird; glossy jet-black males and soft gray females that depend heavily on mistletoe berries.
songbird
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
Macaroni Penguin
A crested penguin with flamboyant golden-yellow plumes sweeping back from the forehead, once among the most abundant penguins on Earth.
seabird
Oak Titmouse
A plain gray-brown, crested songbird tightly tied to oak woodlands of California, notable for its lack of bold field marks.
songbird
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
African Hoopoe
A distinctive cinnamon-colored African bird with a fan-shaped crest, boldly barred black-and-white wings, and a long curved bill.
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
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
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
Andean Cock-of-the-rock
A vivid orange Andean bird with a distinctive disc-shaped crest, best known for the males' spectacular communal lek displays in the cloud forest.
other
Northern Cardinal
A brilliant all-red songbird with a prominent crest and thick orange-red bill, common at backyard feeders across the eastern and central U.S.
songbird