Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Kea
A large, highly intelligent olive-green mountain parrot from New Zealand's South Island, the world's only alpine-dwelling parrot.
parrot
Whooping Crane
North America's tallest bird, a rare, snow-white crane with black wingtips that has become a flagship symbol of wildlife conservation after nearly going extinct.
wading-bird
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
Welcome Swallow
A glossy blue-black swallow with a rufous forehead and throat, common across Australia and long regarded as a harbinger of spring.
songbird
Powerful Owl
Australia's largest owl, a massive nocturnal predator of eastern forests that feeds almost exclusively on possums and gliders.
owl
Saddleback
A glossy black New Zealand forest bird with a bold chestnut "saddle" across its back and bright orange-red wattles, now surviving mainly on predator-free islands after near extinction on the mainland.
songbird
Southern Boobook
Australia's smallest and most common owl, best known for its distinctive two-note 'boobook' or 'mopoke' call.
owl
Spotted Antbird
A small, boldly spotted antbird of Central American and Chocó forests that habitually follows army ant swarms to catch fleeing insects.
songbird
Helmeted Guineafowl
A gregarious, ground-dwelling African gamebird instantly recognizable by its bare bluish head, red facial wattles, and bony helmet-like casque.
gamebird
Common Ostrich
The world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African ratite known for its long bare legs, tiny head, and remarkable running speed.
other
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
Bourke's Parrot
A small, soft pink-and-brown Australian grass parrot known for its gentle nature and dawn-and-dusk feeding habits.
parrot
Emu
Australia's tallest native bird, a large flightless ratite with shaggy grayish-brown feathers and a distinctive loping stride.
other
Black-collared Hawk
A rufous wetland raptor with a pale head and a distinctive black band across the upper breast, specialized for hunting fish over open water.
raptor
White-faced Heron
The most common and widespread heron across Australia and New Zealand, easily told by its pale grey body and clean white face.
wading-bird
Star Finch
A small Australian grass finch with a scarlet face mask, olive-green body flecked with white spots, and a red tail and rump.
songbird
Hen Harrier
A slim, long-winged harrier of open moorland; the pale grey male is nicknamed the 'grey ghost', while the streaky brown female is known as a 'ringtail'.
raptor
Spotted Owl
A dark-eyed, chocolate-brown forest owl closely tied to old-growth woodland and famous as a flagship species for old-growth conservation debates.
owl
Lappet-faced Vulture
Africa's largest vulture, instantly recognizable by its massive bill and bare pink-red head draped with fleshy folds of skin.
raptor
Brolga
Australia's iconic grey crane, famous for its elaborate group dancing displays, distinguished from the Sarus Crane by its grey crown cap and throat dewlap.
wading-bird
Pukeko
A large, deep blue-purple swamphen with a bright red bill and frontal shield, a common and conspicuous sight striding through New Zealand wetlands and roadside paddocks.
wading-bird
Common Poorwill
A small, cryptic desert nightjar uniquely known for entering a hibernation-like torpor to survive cold weather.
other
Rainbow Lory
A vividly colored lorikeet of Indonesia, New Guinea, and the southwest Pacific, closely related to Australia's Rainbow Lorikeet and often known by the same common name.
parrot
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
A compact, agile woodland hawk with short rounded wings and a long tail, built for high-speed chases through trees.
raptor