Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Ruffed Grouse
A woodland grouse famous for the male's low, accelerating wing-drumming display that resembles a distant engine starting up.
gamebird
Northern Parula
A small, compact, blue-gray and yellow warbler with a distinctive bicolored bill, closely tied to hanging Spanish moss or Usnea lichen for nesting.
songbird
Squacco Heron
A small, buffy heron that looks surprisingly plain at rest but reveals striking white wings the instant it takes flight.
wading-bird
Ovenbird
A plump, ground-walking warbler of mature forest interior, named for its domed, oven-shaped nest and famous for its loud 'teacher-teacher-teacher' song.
songbird
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
Purple Finch
A stocky finch with a raspberry-red wash over the head, back, and breast in males, often confused with the House Finch.
songbird
Rüppell's Vulture
A large, mottled griffon vulture of Africa's savannas famed for flying higher than any other bird on record.
raptor
Pied Kingfisher
A striking black-and-white kingfisher famed for hovering over water before plunge-diving for fish, common across Africa and Asia.
other
Rough-legged Hawk
A large arctic-breeding hawk with feathered legs, seen across open fields and marshes farther south in winter, known for its habit of hovering while hunting.
raptor
Olive Sparrow
A skulking, olive-green sparrow of South Texas thornscrub with a striped rufous-and-gray crown and a bouncing-ball trill song.
songbird
Saker Falcon
A large, powerful falcon of the Eurasian steppes known for hunting ground squirrels in open country.
raptor
Purple-backed Fairywren
A close relative of the Variegated Fairywren adapted to Australia's arid interior, with breeding males showing purplish-blue tones and a small chestnut shoulder patch.
songbird
Oilbird
A unique nocturnal, cave-dwelling fruit-eater that navigates pitch-black caverns using echolocation clicks like a bat.
other
Orange-crowned Warbler
A plain, drab olive warbler with a faint eyeline and blurry streaking below, whose namesake orange crown patch is usually hidden from view.
songbird
Pied Currawong
A large, mostly black songbird of eastern Australia with white wing and tail patches and a loud, ringing 'currawong' call.
songbird
Philippine Eagle
The national bird of the Philippines, this critically endangered eagle sports a shaggy, lion-like crest of brown feathers and ranks among the largest and rarest eagles on Earth.
raptor
Red-vented Bulbul
A dark-hooded, scaly-bodied bulbul with a bright red patch under the tail, a familiar and vocal garden bird across South Asia.
songbird
Red Junglefowl
The wild ancestor of the domestic chicken, sporting a fiery orange-red neck, glossy dark tail, and bold red comb.
gamebird
Red-browed Finch
An olive-grey finch with a bright red rump, bill, and eyebrow stripe, often seen in small flocks along forest edges.
songbird
Regent Bowerbird
A striking rainforest songbird; the male is patterned in bold black and rich golden-yellow, one of the most vividly colored birds of eastern Australia.
songbird
New Zealand Robin
A tame, upright New Zealand forest bird, dark grey-black above with a pale belly, well known for boldly following walkers and foraging on the forest floor within easy view.
songbird
Southern Red Bishop
A small African wetland bird whose breeding male turns a brilliant scarlet and black, nesting in dense reedbed colonies.
songbird
Purple-rumped Sunbird
A dazzling small sunbird of southern India and Sri Lanka with a maroon back and iridescent purple rump.
songbird
Spruce Grouse
A tame, dark forest grouse of the northern boreal woods that relies so heavily on camouflage it often allows extremely close approach, earning it the nickname "fool hen."
gamebird
Powerful Owl
Australia's largest owl, a massive nocturnal predator of eastern forests that feeds almost exclusively on possums and gliders.
owl
Red-breasted Nuthatch
A tiny, tin-horn-voiced nuthatch of conifer forests, with rusty-orange underparts and a bold black eye-stripe bordered by white.
songbird
Plum-headed Parakeet
A slender green parakeet whose male sports a striking plum-purple head bordered with a thin black-and-blue neck ring.
parrot
Ruddy Turnstone
A stocky, boldly patterned shorebird that flips stones, shells, and seaweed on the beach with its short, wedge-shaped bill in search of food.
shorebird
Red Kite
A large, russet raptor with a deeply forked tail, effortless soaring flight, and a habit of scavenging carrion.
raptor
Saltmarsh Sparrow
A tidal marsh specialist with a bright orange face and crisp streaked breast, among the most threatened songbirds in North America due to sea level rise.
songbird
Secretarybird
A striking long-legged African raptor that hunts on foot across open grassland, famous for stomping venomous snakes to death.
raptor
Peregrine Falcon
The fastest animal on Earth, this powerful falcon stoops on other birds at speeds exceeding 300 km/h (200 mph).
raptor
Shore Lark
A striking ground-dwelling lark with a black-and-yellow face pattern and small black feather 'horns' on the crown.
songbird
Steller's Sea Eagle
A massive coastal eagle of the Russian Far East with a huge yellow bill and bold white shoulder, thigh, and tail patches.
raptor
Olive-backed Oriole
An olive-green songbird with cream underparts finely streaked in dark grey, a red eye, and a rich, fluty, far-carrying song.
songbird
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
A common southern African savanna hornbill instantly recognizable by its black-and-white plumage and oversized curved yellow bill.
other
Ringed Kingfisher
The largest kingfisher in the Americas, easily recognized by its massive size, heavy bill, and entirely rufous-chestnut underparts.
other
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
Red-crowned Crane
A rare, exceptionally elegant East Asian crane with mostly white plumage, a black neck, and a small patch of bare red skin on the crown, revered as a symbol of luck and longevity.
wading-bird
Superb Fairywren
A tiny, cooperatively breeding songbird whose breeding males flash brilliant iridescent blue against black, a familiar sight in southeastern Australian gardens.
songbird
Short-tailed Hawk
A compact tropical buteo, found in Florida in both dark and light color forms, that hunts songbirds from high overhead.
raptor
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
A tiny, plain-faced olive-gray songbird with a bold white eye-ring and a surprisingly loud, rollicking song from a normally hidden red crown.
songbird
Southern Red-billed Hornbill
A slender black-and-white southern African hornbill distinguished by its long, slim, bright red bill.
other
Red-faced Mousebird
The Red-faced Mousebird is a southern African species distinguished by its crimson face patch and sleek grey plumage, often seen scurrying through shrubs in small flocks.
other
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
A social, all-black cotinga whose males flash a glossy magenta-purple throat patch, usually seen moving through the forest canopy in small groups.
songbird
Steller's Jay
A bold, crested jay of western conifer forests with a striking black head and deep blue body.
songbird
Semipalmated Plover
A small, compact plover with a single black breast band and orange legs, common on beaches and mudflats throughout the Americas during migration.
shorebird
Orange-winged Parrot
A medium-sized Amazon parrot with a green body, a yellow-and-blue face pattern, and a bright orange patch in the wing that flashes in flight.
parrot