Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Eastern Whip-poor-will
A cryptically camouflaged eastern forest nightjar celebrated for its relentless, repeated nighttime song that gives the bird its name.
other
Giant Kingfisher
Africa's largest kingfisher, a shaggy-crested, black-and-white speckled bird that hunts fish and crabs from streamside perches.
other
European Roller
A stocky, crow-sized bird with brilliant blue plumage and a chestnut back, named for its spectacular tumbling courtship flight.
other
Cactus Wren
The largest North American wren, a bold, heavily spotted desert bird that nests within the spiny protection of cholla and cactus.
songbird
Common Loon
An iconic North American lake bird famed for its striking black-and-white checkered plumage and haunting, wavering calls.
seabird
Cocoi Heron
South America's largest heron, a tall grey-and-white bird with a black cap that fills the same niche as the Grey Heron.
wading-bird
Rüppell's Vulture
A large, mottled griffon vulture of Africa's savannas famed for flying higher than any other bird on record.
raptor
Emu
Australia's tallest native bird, a large flightless ratite with shaggy grayish-brown feathers and a distinctive loping stride.
other
Bush Stone-curlew
A large, cryptic ground bird with enormous yellow eyes and an eerie, wailing call heard mostly after dark.
shorebird
Common Potoo
A large, cryptically patterned nocturnal bird that perches bolt upright on broken branch stubs, vanishing into the bark by day.
other
American Coot
A stocky slate-grey marsh bird with a chalky white bill, often mistaken for a duck though it is actually a rail.
wading-bird
Red-billed Quelea
A small, sparrow-like African weaver famous for forming the largest flocks of any wild bird species, sometimes numbering in the millions.
songbird
Vaux's Swift
The western counterpart of the Chimney Swift, a tiny, cigar-shaped aerial bird that nests in hollow old-growth trees and large chimneys.
other
Water Rail
A slim Eurasian marsh bird with a long red bill, gray underparts, and barred flanks, more often heard than seen.
wading-bird
White-throated Swift
A fast, boldly black-and-white patterned swift of western cliffs and canyons, among the fastest fliers of any North American bird.
other
Yellow-billed Stork
A striking African wading bird with mostly white and pale pink plumage, black flight feathers, and a long, curved yellow bill.
wading-bird
Sungrebe
A secretive aquatic bird best known for the male's habit of carrying chicks in skin pouches under his wings while swimming.
other
Noisy Pitta
A brilliantly coloured, shy rainforest ground bird known for its loud 'walk-to-work' call and habit of smashing snails on rocks.
songbird
Royal Spoonbill
A large white wading bird of Australasia with a distinctive black, spoon-shaped bill that it sweeps through shallow water to feel for prey.
wading-bird
Silvereye
A small olive-green bird with a distinctive white eye-ring, often seen in active flocks raiding garden fruit trees.
songbird
Scarlet Ibis
A brilliant, all-scarlet wading bird of South American mangroves, its vivid color built directly from the crustaceans it eats.
wading-bird
Pied Butcherbird
A bold black-and-white songbird with a hooked bill, celebrated for one of the most beautiful and flute-like songs of any Australian bird.
songbird
Rufous-tailed Jacamar
A slender, iridescent green bird with a needle-thin bill and rufous underparts that hawks insects from perches along forest edges.
other
Roseate Spoonbill
A vivid pink wading bird with an unmistakable spoon-shaped bill, often mistaken for a flamingo when glimpsed at a distance in coastal marshes.
wading-bird