Reference library · Living world · Field observation
Birds
Start with what you can describe: size, shape, colour, behaviour, habitat and call. The routes below take you from a first shortlist, to a check against recordings and records, to sharing your sighting responsibly. Most of these services are run by bird organisations, universities and governments and are free to read; Birds of the World needs a subscription. Clio links to them but does not run, mirror or vouch for them.
A clear photograph or a good recording can support a species name for many birds, but similar species, immature or moulting birds, hybrids and mimics can need more than one view, several calls or an experienced observer. Suggestions from apps, photographs, sound models or community agreement are a shortlist, not a determination. If the field marks or the call are not clear, record a family or genus and say what is missing. For threatened species, the safest record to publish may be a region rather than a point.
Start here
What do you want to do?
Pick the goal that fits and open the first resource. Each entry further down says who
runs it, what it cannot do and how you may reuse it.
Identify a bird by sight
Start with size, shape and colour, then check habitat and range. Treat any suggestion as a shortlist and confirm it against the field marks you actually saw.
Listen to several recordings of each candidate and compare the pattern, not only the tone. Keep your own original recording. Do not play recordings to draw a bird in.
Note the place, date, time and how long you looked. Send your sighting to a survey platform so scientists can use it, and keep your original photos and audio for your Clio record.
Check whether a bird is threatened before you share a record. If it is, publish a wide area rather than an exact point, and keep nests, roosts and breeding sites to yourself.
Matching a photograph against a memory is how misidentifications happen. Working through
these in order gives you a description that someone else can check — and that stays
useful even if the determination later changes.
Size and shape
Compare the bird with a familiar one, then note the bill, tail, legs and overall build.
Size against a bird everyone knows (a sparrow, a pigeon, a raven) is more useful than a guess in centimetres. Note bill length and shape, tail length and whether it is held up, down or fanned, and leg length.
Colour and pattern
Describe where each colour sits on the bird, including the eye, bill and legs.
Light changes colour, so say what the light was. Record the head, back, wings, underparts and tail separately. Note any obvious wing or tail pattern when the bird moves. Juveniles, moulting birds and males and females can look quite different.
Behaviour and habitat
Write down what the bird was doing, where it was and what time of year it was.
Feeding method, flocking, perching, flight style and the kind of habitat (woodland, wetland, garden, coast) all narrow the candidates. Note if it was alone, in a pair or in a group.
Call or song
Keep the original recording and note how far away the bird was and what else was calling.
Record the date, time and distance, and write down a rough description in your own words (for example, a rising whistle or a harsh repeated chatter). Do not play recordings to attract the bird. Link a sound to a sighting only if you saw that bird make it.
Place and precision
Record where you were, how exact the location is, and whether the species is threatened.
Keep the exact location in your private record. For threatened or sensitive species, generalise the location before publishing and leave out nest, roost and breeding sites.
These are the observations. Standards covers the vocabularies
that carry them into a record — including Darwin Core for biological occurrences,
REMBI and OME for imaging, and ABCD-EFG for geological material — while each observation
profile records its own method-specific context. Prepare a
contribution covers what to keep alongside the files themselves.
Resources
Grouped by the question you are asking.
A resource can appear under more than one heading. Each entry states who maintains it,
what it is best for, and where it stops being reliable.
Nothing here matches that.
Clear the filter, or search the whole library from the library index.
Describe what you observed
Character guides and controlled terminology, so your description means the same thing to the next reader.
A BirdLife Australia research, education and conservation program with species profiles that include calls, a size, colour and shape Bird Finder, and featured groups such as birds under threat.
Best for
A beginner's first pass at an Australian bird seen where people live, using size, colour and shape, then hearing the call on the species page.
Limits
The Bird Finder says more birds will be added over time, so not every Australian bird has a profile. Its shape choices are described as very general. The forum is closed, and the surveys now run through Birdata rather than a login on this site.
Coverage
Australian birds, with a focus on birds found where people live.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia website terms apply. Photographs and audio are credited on each page (the Spangled Drongo page credits its call recording to Fred Van Gessel); no blanket open licence is stated on the pages read.
Open a species page to see calls, similar species, habitat and conservation status by state in one place. The species URL pattern is https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/ followed by the scientific name with a hyphen, for example Dicrurus-bracteatus.
A guided mobile identification tool using location, date, description, photographs and supported sound recordings with a global bird reference library.
Best for
Generating a short list from a field observation or recording and learning which visible or acoustic features separate candidates.
Limits
Mobile-first, with regional gaps in Sound ID. Photo and sound suggestions are model outputs that require confirmation against field marks, calls, range and season.
Coverage
Global bird reference coverage; assisted features and sound models vary by region.
Reuse
Cornell Lab terms apply; reference media retain contributor and Macaulay Library rights.
Contributing
The app is free; email or account confirmation is required for continued use and contribution-linked features.
Software or tool Free registration Research pass ·
A BirdLife Australia research, education and conservation program with species profiles that include calls, a size, colour and shape Bird Finder, and featured groups such as birds under threat.
Best for
A beginner's first pass at an Australian bird seen where people live, using size, colour and shape, then hearing the call on the species page.
Limits
The Bird Finder says more birds will be added over time, so not every Australian bird has a profile. Its shape choices are described as very general. The forum is closed, and the surveys now run through Birdata rather than a login on this site.
Coverage
Australian birds, with a focus on birds found where people live.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia website terms apply. Photographs and audio are credited on each page (the Spangled Drongo page credits its call recording to Fred Van Gessel); no blanket open licence is stated on the pages read.
Open a species page to see calls, similar species, habitat and conservation status by state in one place. The species URL pattern is https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/ followed by the scientific name with a hyphen, for example Dicrurus-bracteatus.
Searchable Australian bird profiles with filters for shape, size, colour, family, habitat, state, distinctive feature, bird group and conservation status.
Best for
Narrowing a photographed Australian bird and checking habitat, range and conservation status against a conservation organisation's account.
Limits
The profile collection is still growing and does not cover every Australian bird. The search has no filter for calls. It is a visual aid rather than a complete diagnostic key.
Coverage
Australian birds; profile depth and taxon coverage vary.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia and individual media rights apply; no blanket open-media licence is stated.
Atlas of Living Australia, hosted by CSIRO and supported by Australia's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
Species pages that bring together names, images, maps and occurrence records for Australian birds, with some records that include a sound file.
Best for
Checking a shortlisted bird against Australian records and maps, and finding records that come with audio.
Limits
Records come from many providers and vary in quality. A species page is only as complete as what providers have supplied, and sound files exist only for some records. Sensitive localities may be generalised, and a gap on a map does not show absence.
Coverage
Australian and territory birds, with links to other sources.
Reuse
ALA site material is generally CC BY 3.0 Australia; occurrence records and media keep the licence stated by each provider, so check each record before reuse.
Records that include a sound file can be selected in occurrence search by the multimedia filter. The example link applies that filter to one species.
Species accounts, taxonomy, maps and multimedia for the birds of the world, drawing on eBird and the Macaulay Library.
Best for
Reading a detailed life-history account once you have a candidate species, including identification, voice and habitat.
Limits
A subscription is needed for the full species accounts. The home page also mentions free preview accounts, institutional subscriptions and special member access, so check what your library or club provides. Accounts are revised at different times, so check the revision date.
Coverage
Global; the home page lists more than 11,000 species and about 250 families.
Reuse
Subscription terms apply; no open reuse licence is stated on the home page.
Xeno-canto Foundation, with Naturalis Biodiversity Center
A community archive of bird sound recordings from around the world, each shown with its recordist, licence and catalogue number.
Best for
Comparing your own recording with several recordings of each candidate species from different places and situations.
Limits
Quality and coverage vary by species and region. Identifications are supplied by contributors and can be wrong, so compare several recordings rather than trusting one. Licences differ from recording to recording and many do not allow commercial reuse. Bot protection on the site blocked automated page reads on the check date.
Coverage
Global bird sound recordings, with uneven coverage among species and regions.
Reuse
Each recording carries a Creative Commons licence chosen by the recordist (most are non-commercial, and some are share-alike or no-derivatives). The recordist keeps the rights. The site's terms ask that the recordist name, licence and xeno-canto catalogue number be shown wherever a recording is shown.
Contributing
Recordings are uploaded by registered contributors. Machine access through the API needs an account key.
Use the recording's own page, not the species list, to check the licence before you reuse any sound in a Clio record. Link the recording by its catalogue number instead of copying it.
A scientific archive of photographs, sound recordings and video of birds and other wildlife, contributed by the public and researchers and linked to eBird and Merlin.
Best for
Looking at and listening to many photographs and recordings of a species, with date and place, before you commit to a name.
Limits
Anyone can view and listen, but media are not available for personal download unless they are yours. Reuse needs a request or the contributor's permission. Coverage is uneven across species and countries, and identifications are contributor-supplied.
Coverage
Global birds first, plus amphibians, mammals and other animals.
Reuse
Contributors keep the copyright. Embedding a media item from its page is for non-commercial purposes only; research or licensing uses are requested through the Cornell Lab. When permission is given, credit the contributor and Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
Contributing
Anyone can contribute media; an account is needed.
A global bird observation platform where people submit checklists, with maps, species pages, hotspots and the eBird Basic Dataset for research.
Best for
Seeing where and when a species is reported, and sharing your own checklist so it adds to a global record.
Limits
Records are volunteer observations of differing skill and effort. Sensitive species are obscured from public outputs, so absence from a map is not absence from a place. Download of the full dataset needs a login and a short project description.
Coverage
Global birds.
Reuse
Cornell Lab of Ornithology terms apply. Its eBird data access terms are for research and education, ask for acknowledgement, and require written permission before commercial reproduction. Photographs, sounds and video are licensed separately through the Macaulay Library.
Contributing
An eBird account is required to submit checklists.
eBird Australia, a volunteer-supported Australian portal of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird
The Australian portal of eBird, with regional species lists and checklists for Australia and its territories.
Best for
Checking which birds are being reported near you, and submitting a checklist through the Australian portal.
Limits
The same limits as eBird apply: volunteer observations of varying quality, with sensitive species obscured.
Coverage
Australia and its territories.
Reuse
eBird terms from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology apply. Where eBird Australia records reach other services, follow the licence shown on that service's record.
Contributing
An eBird account is required to submit checklists. BirdLife Australia has a project in eBird for its 2 ha, 20 minute survey.
NSW Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW Environment, Energy and Science)
Searchable NSW profiles for threatened species, populations and communities, with status, description, distribution, habitat, threats and recovery actions.
Best for
Checking whether a bird is threatened in New South Wales and reading what is known about its identification, habitat and threats.
Limits
NSW status only. A bird can have a different status in another state or under national law. The maps are indicative, and the profiles are not an identification key.
Coverage
New South Wales threatened biodiversity, including birds.
Reuse
The site links a NSW Government copyright and disclaimer notice that was not read in full. Photographs and call recordings on a profile are credited individually.
For example, the Grey-crowned Babbler (eastern subspecies) is listed as Vulnerable in NSW. Treat records of a bird like this as sensitive: publish a region, not a precise point.
A guided mobile identification tool using location, date, description, photographs and supported sound recordings with a global bird reference library.
Best for
Generating a short list from a field observation or recording and learning which visible or acoustic features separate candidates.
Limits
Mobile-first, with regional gaps in Sound ID. Photo and sound suggestions are model outputs that require confirmation against field marks, calls, range and season.
Coverage
Global bird reference coverage; assisted features and sound models vary by region.
Reuse
Cornell Lab terms apply; reference media retain contributor and Macaulay Library rights.
Contributing
The app is free; email or account confirmation is required for continued use and contribution-linked features.
Software or tool Free registration Research pass ·
Atlas of Living Australia, hosted by CSIRO and supported by Australia's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
Species pages that bring together names, images, maps and occurrence records for Australian birds, with some records that include a sound file.
Best for
Checking a shortlisted bird against Australian records and maps, and finding records that come with audio.
Limits
Records come from many providers and vary in quality. A species page is only as complete as what providers have supplied, and sound files exist only for some records. Sensitive localities may be generalised, and a gap on a map does not show absence.
Coverage
Australian and territory birds, with links to other sources.
Reuse
ALA site material is generally CC BY 3.0 Australia; occurrence records and media keep the licence stated by each provider, so check each record before reuse.
Records that include a sound file can be selected in occurrence search by the multimedia filter. The example link applies that filter to one species.
Queensland Government, Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
Queensland's WildNet database offers a species profile search for names and current conservation status, including birds regulated under state and Commonwealth law.
Best for
Checking the Queensland and Commonwealth conservation status of a bird before you decide how precisely to publish its location.
Limits
It shows information approved for release, not every record. The status shown is for Queensland under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, with the Commonwealth status listed separately, and may differ from other states. It is not an identification key. The page loads with scripts, and its layout could not be read on the check date.
Coverage
Queensland; the Queensland Government says WildNet holds information on more than 21,000 species.
Reuse
Queensland Government website terms apply. The related Conservation status of Queensland wildlife dataset, built from WildNet, is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
BirdLife Australia's national bird monitoring platform, for recording standard bird surveys and requesting data. It brings together Birds in Backyards, Birds on Farms, the Aussie Bird Count and targeted threatened species surveys.
Best for
Recording a repeatable survey, such as the 2 ha, 20 minute survey, that can feed bird monitoring and conservation work.
Limits
Surveys follow set methods, so a casual one-off sighting is a poor fit. Data extracts are supplied on request through a form, not downloaded freely. Location data for sensitive species is hidden automatically.
Coverage
Australia; BirdLife Australia describes more than 30 million records.
Reuse
Data extracts are supplied under the terms of the request. BirdLife Australia says the files may not be shared publicly unless the request terms say so and BirdLife Australia approves.
Contributing
A free BirdLife Australia or Birdata account is needed to log in and record surveys.
Birdata also lets you mark a record as private, for example when it is on private property.
Guidelines for watching and photographing birds without harming them, covering call playback, nests, spotlights and sharing of records.
Best for
Deciding how close to go, whether to use playback or a spotlight, and how to handle records of sensitive species.
Limits
General guidance for Australian birdwatchers. It does not list which species are threatened or which places are protected, and it does not replace the rules of a park, reserve or landholder.
Coverage
Australian birds and birdwatchers.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia website terms apply; no open licence is stated.
The guidelines say that, as a rule, BirdLife Australia does not support call playback for recreational birdwatching or photography.
Protocol Open Research pass ·
Place it in context
Occurrence, stratigraphic, catalogue and archive services that situate a record in space, time and literature.
Searchable Australian bird profiles with filters for shape, size, colour, family, habitat, state, distinctive feature, bird group and conservation status.
Best for
Narrowing a photographed Australian bird and checking habitat, range and conservation status against a conservation organisation's account.
Limits
The profile collection is still growing and does not cover every Australian bird. The search has no filter for calls. It is a visual aid rather than a complete diagnostic key.
Coverage
Australian birds; profile depth and taxon coverage vary.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia and individual media rights apply; no blanket open-media licence is stated.
Atlas of Living Australia, hosted by CSIRO and supported by Australia's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
Species pages that bring together names, images, maps and occurrence records for Australian birds, with some records that include a sound file.
Best for
Checking a shortlisted bird against Australian records and maps, and finding records that come with audio.
Limits
Records come from many providers and vary in quality. A species page is only as complete as what providers have supplied, and sound files exist only for some records. Sensitive localities may be generalised, and a gap on a map does not show absence.
Coverage
Australian and territory birds, with links to other sources.
Reuse
ALA site material is generally CC BY 3.0 Australia; occurrence records and media keep the licence stated by each provider, so check each record before reuse.
Records that include a sound file can be selected in occurrence search by the multimedia filter. The example link applies that filter to one species.
Species accounts, taxonomy, maps and multimedia for the birds of the world, drawing on eBird and the Macaulay Library.
Best for
Reading a detailed life-history account once you have a candidate species, including identification, voice and habitat.
Limits
A subscription is needed for the full species accounts. The home page also mentions free preview accounts, institutional subscriptions and special member access, so check what your library or club provides. Accounts are revised at different times, so check the revision date.
Coverage
Global; the home page lists more than 11,000 species and about 250 families.
Reuse
Subscription terms apply; no open reuse licence is stated on the home page.
Xeno-canto Foundation, with Naturalis Biodiversity Center
A community archive of bird sound recordings from around the world, each shown with its recordist, licence and catalogue number.
Best for
Comparing your own recording with several recordings of each candidate species from different places and situations.
Limits
Quality and coverage vary by species and region. Identifications are supplied by contributors and can be wrong, so compare several recordings rather than trusting one. Licences differ from recording to recording and many do not allow commercial reuse. Bot protection on the site blocked automated page reads on the check date.
Coverage
Global bird sound recordings, with uneven coverage among species and regions.
Reuse
Each recording carries a Creative Commons licence chosen by the recordist (most are non-commercial, and some are share-alike or no-derivatives). The recordist keeps the rights. The site's terms ask that the recordist name, licence and xeno-canto catalogue number be shown wherever a recording is shown.
Contributing
Recordings are uploaded by registered contributors. Machine access through the API needs an account key.
Use the recording's own page, not the species list, to check the licence before you reuse any sound in a Clio record. Link the recording by its catalogue number instead of copying it.
A scientific archive of photographs, sound recordings and video of birds and other wildlife, contributed by the public and researchers and linked to eBird and Merlin.
Best for
Looking at and listening to many photographs and recordings of a species, with date and place, before you commit to a name.
Limits
Anyone can view and listen, but media are not available for personal download unless they are yours. Reuse needs a request or the contributor's permission. Coverage is uneven across species and countries, and identifications are contributor-supplied.
Coverage
Global birds first, plus amphibians, mammals and other animals.
Reuse
Contributors keep the copyright. Embedding a media item from its page is for non-commercial purposes only; research or licensing uses are requested through the Cornell Lab. When permission is given, credit the contributor and Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
Contributing
Anyone can contribute media; an account is needed.
A global bird observation platform where people submit checklists, with maps, species pages, hotspots and the eBird Basic Dataset for research.
Best for
Seeing where and when a species is reported, and sharing your own checklist so it adds to a global record.
Limits
Records are volunteer observations of differing skill and effort. Sensitive species are obscured from public outputs, so absence from a map is not absence from a place. Download of the full dataset needs a login and a short project description.
Coverage
Global birds.
Reuse
Cornell Lab of Ornithology terms apply. Its eBird data access terms are for research and education, ask for acknowledgement, and require written permission before commercial reproduction. Photographs, sounds and video are licensed separately through the Macaulay Library.
Contributing
An eBird account is required to submit checklists.
eBird Australia, a volunteer-supported Australian portal of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird
The Australian portal of eBird, with regional species lists and checklists for Australia and its territories.
Best for
Checking which birds are being reported near you, and submitting a checklist through the Australian portal.
Limits
The same limits as eBird apply: volunteer observations of varying quality, with sensitive species obscured.
Coverage
Australia and its territories.
Reuse
eBird terms from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology apply. Where eBird Australia records reach other services, follow the licence shown on that service's record.
Contributing
An eBird account is required to submit checklists. BirdLife Australia has a project in eBird for its 2 ha, 20 minute survey.
BirdLife Australia's national bird monitoring platform, for recording standard bird surveys and requesting data. It brings together Birds in Backyards, Birds on Farms, the Aussie Bird Count and targeted threatened species surveys.
Best for
Recording a repeatable survey, such as the 2 ha, 20 minute survey, that can feed bird monitoring and conservation work.
Limits
Surveys follow set methods, so a casual one-off sighting is a poor fit. Data extracts are supplied on request through a form, not downloaded freely. Location data for sensitive species is hidden automatically.
Coverage
Australia; BirdLife Australia describes more than 30 million records.
Reuse
Data extracts are supplied under the terms of the request. BirdLife Australia says the files may not be shared publicly unless the request terms say so and BirdLife Australia approves.
Contributing
A free BirdLife Australia or Birdata account is needed to log in and record surveys.
Birdata also lets you mark a record as private, for example when it is on private property.
NSW Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW Environment, Energy and Science)
Searchable NSW profiles for threatened species, populations and communities, with status, description, distribution, habitat, threats and recovery actions.
Best for
Checking whether a bird is threatened in New South Wales and reading what is known about its identification, habitat and threats.
Limits
NSW status only. A bird can have a different status in another state or under national law. The maps are indicative, and the profiles are not an identification key.
Coverage
New South Wales threatened biodiversity, including birds.
Reuse
The site links a NSW Government copyright and disclaimer notice that was not read in full. Photographs and call recordings on a profile are credited individually.
For example, the Grey-crowned Babbler (eastern subspecies) is listed as Vulnerable in NSW. Treat records of a bird like this as sensitive: publish a region, not a precise point.
NSW Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
The NSW Government repository for species names, sightings, systematic survey and threatened biodiversity data, with web services for mapping and analysis.
Best for
Seeing where New South Wales species have been recorded, and understanding how sensitive-species locations are treated.
Limits
The page links to a Sensitive Species Data Policy that was not read for this entry. For species classed as sensitive, location details may be reduced in precision or withheld, depending on the species and the user's access, so a missing or coarse point does not mean the bird is absent. Vegetation classification data needs a login.
Coverage
New South Wales, all plants and animals, including birds.
Reuse
BioNet terms and conditions apply. The NSW BioNet Species Sightings Data Collection is listed on the NSW open data portal under Creative Commons Attribution.
Contributing
Searching the Atlas does not need a login. Logging in gives elevated data access options.
Queensland Government, Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
Queensland's WildNet database offers a species profile search for names and current conservation status, including birds regulated under state and Commonwealth law.
Best for
Checking the Queensland and Commonwealth conservation status of a bird before you decide how precisely to publish its location.
Limits
It shows information approved for release, not every record. The status shown is for Queensland under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, with the Commonwealth status listed separately, and may differ from other states. It is not an identification key. The page loads with scripts, and its layout could not be read on the check date.
Coverage
Queensland; the Queensland Government says WildNet holds information on more than 21,000 species.
Reuse
Queensland Government website terms apply. The related Conservation status of Queensland wildlife dataset, built from WildNet, is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
A guided mobile identification tool using location, date, description, photographs and supported sound recordings with a global bird reference library.
Best for
Generating a short list from a field observation or recording and learning which visible or acoustic features separate candidates.
Limits
Mobile-first, with regional gaps in Sound ID. Photo and sound suggestions are model outputs that require confirmation against field marks, calls, range and season.
Coverage
Global bird reference coverage; assisted features and sound models vary by region.
Reuse
Cornell Lab terms apply; reference media retain contributor and Macaulay Library rights.
Contributing
The app is free; email or account confirmation is required for continued use and contribution-linked features.
Software or tool Free registration Research pass ·
A BirdLife Australia research, education and conservation program with species profiles that include calls, a size, colour and shape Bird Finder, and featured groups such as birds under threat.
Best for
A beginner's first pass at an Australian bird seen where people live, using size, colour and shape, then hearing the call on the species page.
Limits
The Bird Finder says more birds will be added over time, so not every Australian bird has a profile. Its shape choices are described as very general. The forum is closed, and the surveys now run through Birdata rather than a login on this site.
Coverage
Australian birds, with a focus on birds found where people live.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia website terms apply. Photographs and audio are credited on each page (the Spangled Drongo page credits its call recording to Fred Van Gessel); no blanket open licence is stated on the pages read.
Open a species page to see calls, similar species, habitat and conservation status by state in one place. The species URL pattern is https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/ followed by the scientific name with a hyphen, for example Dicrurus-bracteatus.
Searchable Australian bird profiles with filters for shape, size, colour, family, habitat, state, distinctive feature, bird group and conservation status.
Best for
Narrowing a photographed Australian bird and checking habitat, range and conservation status against a conservation organisation's account.
Limits
The profile collection is still growing and does not cover every Australian bird. The search has no filter for calls. It is a visual aid rather than a complete diagnostic key.
Coverage
Australian birds; profile depth and taxon coverage vary.
Reuse
BirdLife Australia and individual media rights apply; no blanket open-media licence is stated.
Species accounts, taxonomy, maps and multimedia for the birds of the world, drawing on eBird and the Macaulay Library.
Best for
Reading a detailed life-history account once you have a candidate species, including identification, voice and habitat.
Limits
A subscription is needed for the full species accounts. The home page also mentions free preview accounts, institutional subscriptions and special member access, so check what your library or club provides. Accounts are revised at different times, so check the revision date.
Coverage
Global; the home page lists more than 11,000 species and about 250 families.
Reuse
Subscription terms apply; no open reuse licence is stated on the home page.
A global bird observation platform where people submit checklists, with maps, species pages, hotspots and the eBird Basic Dataset for research.
Best for
Seeing where and when a species is reported, and sharing your own checklist so it adds to a global record.
Limits
Records are volunteer observations of differing skill and effort. Sensitive species are obscured from public outputs, so absence from a map is not absence from a place. Download of the full dataset needs a login and a short project description.
Coverage
Global birds.
Reuse
Cornell Lab of Ornithology terms apply. Its eBird data access terms are for research and education, ask for acknowledgement, and require written permission before commercial reproduction. Photographs, sounds and video are licensed separately through the Macaulay Library.
Contributing
An eBird account is required to submit checklists.
NSW Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW Environment, Energy and Science)
Searchable NSW profiles for threatened species, populations and communities, with status, description, distribution, habitat, threats and recovery actions.
Best for
Checking whether a bird is threatened in New South Wales and reading what is known about its identification, habitat and threats.
Limits
NSW status only. A bird can have a different status in another state or under national law. The maps are indicative, and the profiles are not an identification key.
Coverage
New South Wales threatened biodiversity, including birds.
Reuse
The site links a NSW Government copyright and disclaimer notice that was not read in full. Photographs and call recordings on a profile are credited individually.
For example, the Grey-crowned Babbler (eastern subspecies) is listed as Vulnerable in NSW. Treat records of a bird like this as sensitive: publish a region, not a precise point.
Some observations and preparations need specialist safeguards.
Hazards change with the field, site, material and equipment. Follow the requirements of
the source method, manufacturer, facility and relevant authority, and do not improvise
a procedure whose controls or training you do not have.
Do not use call playback to draw birds in
BirdLife Australia's guidelines say that, as a rule, it does not support call playback for recreational birdwatching or photography, because playback can distress birds and disrupt feeding or breeding. Listen to reference recordings for comparison, away from the bird.
Keep away from nests
BirdLife Australia advises not to photograph near nests, to avoid core territories, and not to use a spotlight near a nest. Disturbance can cause stress, predation or nest failure. If you think a nest is nearby, move away.
Sick or dead wild birds
BirdLife Australia's H5 bird flu page gives an Avoid, Record, Report approach. Keep yourself, other people and pets at a safe distance, note the place, date and time, and report it at once to the Emergency Disease Hotline (1800 675 888, which the page says runs 24 hours). Check the page for current advice before you act.
This is orientation, not laboratory training, and it is not a substitute for the safety
instruction and supervision your institution requires.
Corrections
Know this field better than this page does?
The most valuable correction is not another link. It is knowing that an entry's stated limit
is wrong, or that a resource practitioners rely on is missing.
