Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Blackburnian Warbler
A dazzling warbler with a blazing orange throat and face on breeding males, often glimpsed high in conifer treetops and nicknamed the 'firethroat.'
songbird
Black-backed Woodpecker
A fire-following specialist woodpecker with a solid black back that thrives in recently burned conifer forests.
woodpecker
Montezuma Quail
A round, secretive quail of southwestern oak woodlands, with a bold black-and-white harlequin facial pattern on males.
gamebird
Barred Owl
A large, dark-eyed forest owl known for its distinctive 'who-cooks-for-you' call and vertically streaked belly.
owl
Gyrfalcon
The largest falcon in the world, a powerful Arctic hunter that ranges from pure white to dark slate-gray in color.
raptor
Common Merganser
A large, sleek fish-eating duck with a slender hooked, serrated bill; breeding males have a glossy dark green head and clean white body.
waterfowl
Osprey
A large, fish-eating hawk found near water nearly worldwide, easily known by its white underparts, dark eye-stripe, and dramatic feet-first dive for fish.
raptor
Spruce Grouse
A dark, tame grouse of northern conifer forests, nicknamed the 'fool hen' for its remarkable tolerance of close approach by people.
gamebird
Tufted Duck
A small diving duck of Eurasia, easily recognized by the male's striking black-and-white plumage, bright yellow eyes, and distinct hanging crest or 'tuft'.
waterfowl
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
A large, semi-tropical hummingbird recognized by its brilliant green throat, warm buff belly, and striking red-and-black bill.
hummingbird
Rivoli's Hummingbird
One of the largest hummingbirds in North America, Rivoli's Hummingbird dazzles with its towering size, deep purple crown, and brilliant emerald throat.
hummingbird
Barn Owl
A pale, heart-faced owl of open farmland, famous for its ghostly white underside and near-silent, moth-like flight.
owl
American Goldfinch
A small finch famous for the male's brilliant lemon-yellow breeding plumage and black cap, wings, and tail.
songbird
Hepatic Tanager
A dusky, brick-red tanager of southwestern mountain pine-oak forests, named for a rich red color reminiscent of liver tissue, with a distinctive dark gray cheek patch.
songbird
Phainopepla
A slim, crested desert songbird; glossy jet-black males and soft gray females that depend heavily on mistletoe berries.
songbird
Wrentit
A drab, long-tailed skulker of Pacific coastal chaparral, far more often heard than seen, with a distinctive bouncing-ball song.
songbird
Cave Swallow
A cliff-swallow relative with a buffy forehead and throat that nests colonially under bridges and in caves and culverts across the southern US and Caribbean.
songbird
Kentucky Warbler
A ground-loving, skulking warbler of southeastern forests, olive above and bright yellow below, with bold black "sideburns" framing yellow spectacles.
songbird
Verdin
A tiny, active desert songbird with a bright yellow head and a chestnut shoulder patch, famous for its bulky twig nests.
songbird
Veery
A uniformly tawny thrush of moist woodlands, named for its breezy, downward-spiraling song of repeated "veer" notes.
songbird
Band-tailed Pigeon
A large, purple-gray wild pigeon of western mountain forests, marked by a white crescent on the nape and a pale band across the tip of the tail.
other
Swallow-tailed Kite
An unmistakable black-and-white raptor with a deeply forked tail that glides effortlessly over southern swamps.
raptor
White-tipped Dove
A stealthy, ground-dwelling dove of the Americas, known for its ghostly, bottle-like hooting and flashing white tail-tips.
other
Short-eared Owl
A pale, ground-nesting owl of open country that hunts by day in low, buoyant, moth-like flight over fields and marshes.
owl