/r/whatsthisbird
The place for your bird identification needs and challenges.
See something feathered but you just can't figure out what it is? Submit descriptions, audio, and/or visuals of unknown birds, eggs, feathers, or nests and we'll try to help! Be sure to include the location of the sighting when submitting.
Already know the ID of a tricky bird and want to see if others can guess it? Just include [CHALLENGE] in your submission's title.
Have you found a baby bird? PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE POSTING!
Have you found an injured bird? Use this link to find licensed wildlife rehabilitation near you.
Active nest guidelines: Keep your distance from a nest if a bird is currently on it. Keep your visit to a nest brief if eggs or hatchlings are inhabiting the nest.
Filter by UNSOLVED and help out some folks who still need IDs!
Want to find a bird conservation group in your country? Check out the list of international BirdLife partners.
RULES
1. Submit descriptions, audio, video and/or photos of unknown birds.
Unidentified eggs, feathers, nests, and bird artwork are all allowed here.
Media containing known species are better suited to r/birdpics, r/birding, r/ornithology, and others. Please respect each subreddit's rules when posting. Posts focusing on known birds will be removed at moderator discretion.
Know the ID of a tricky bird and want to see if others can guess it? That's allowed, too; just include [CHALLENGE] (with the brackets) in your post's title.
2. Include geographic location in ID requests.
The location of your sighting is extremely important when it comes to identifying the bird in question. Please include a reasonably precise geographic location to help us ID your bird.
3. No joke posts.
While we enjoy good humor, this is foremost an educational subreddit. Jokes in comments are acceptable, as long as they do not confound any legitimate IDs.
4. Tag images involving death or gore as NSFW.
Images containing death or gore (within reason; for example, stuffed specimens are exempt) must be tagged as NSFW.
A few handy ID guides to common North American birds:
American Crow vs Common Raven (and a couple other corvids)
Cooper's vs Sharp-shinned Hawk
Downy vs Hairy Woodpecker (plus bonus woodpeckers)
Juvenile Black-crowned vs Yellow-crowned Night-Herons
Which Dowitcher? Tips for distinguishing Short- vs Long-billed
Bird Doppelgangers, Pt. 1 (Chickadees, white herons, and more)
Bird Doppelgangers, Pt. 2 (Haemorhous finches, Aythya ducks, gallinules and more)
Past AMAs:
Scott Whittle, The Terra Project, June 2021
Other bird-related sites:
r/ornithology - bird science
r/birding - bird watching
r/birdpics - bird photos
More identification fun:
Many thanks to stabberthomas for the fantastic header.
/r/whatsthisbird
395,933 Subscribers
injured bird
i believe this is a pigeon, i dont know much about birds. I need to know whats wrong with this poor baby and what i can do to make it better. i was on a night walk then i saw this little guy i was surprised because they shouldnt be out at night time. he looked just fine standing on the floor, he looked all good. when I approached i saw him attempting to fly but failing so i thought he just had an injured wing. i captured him gently then took him home. gave him some water and food. i don’t know why his head is facing that way, i believe hes not just injured but has some kind of virus. i want to help him :( (i own 2 cats in my house so i have to keep him in the balcony) anyone who knows about birds i need help please approach me and tell me whats wrong with this guy and what i can do
00:01 UTC
What bird did I draw in middle school?
I assume I had a reference image to go off of, but I apologize in advance if this is actually not a real species. I don’t think I’ve seen this bird in person, so it may not be native to my area, or maybe just very uncommon. Location is Southern California.
23:25 UTC
KCMO, best pic my friend could get. been dropping lots of pray in his job parking lot
23:11 UTC
Who is this friend? May have flown into a window, but made a quick recovery and eventually flew off. (Central Illinois)
22:32 UTC
(Video Game Sound Effects Location Unknown) Not sure if it's all the same species in the clip but help identifying would be extremely appreciated
22:24 UTC
Partially-leucistic lesser goldfinch or something else? (Washington State, US)
Found this little buddy on my feeder. Not sure if he’s a lesser goldfinch with a white head or if he’s some other bird I’m unfamiliar with.
22:16 UTC
Are these two different species of goldeneye (and a bufflehead?) (Tacoma WA in December)
22:12 UTC
Little guy in NYC
Wonder if he’s a local or migrating ?
21:55 UTC
Large bird in tree (maryland)
I didn't have a good angle. Hopefully this is enough!
21:14 UTC
Bit of a long shot, a drawing by a friend. Northern Illinois.
Seen on the ground, hopping, in a cemetery. Around 10 in the same area. Allegedly around the size of a robin.
The shape in the drawing is more like a woodcock but it was apparently a “generic bird shape.”
The best way my friend described it was “long, brown robin.”
21:04 UTC
What’s this supposed to be? Found on a poster with a bunch of other inaccuracies.
No flair because it had birds from all over the world, so the location isn’t certain.
Other inaccuracies on the poster were the “Brown-capped chickadee,” the “Virginia Cardinal,” and the plain old “Scrub Jay.” Translation errors? Subspecies? Inaccuracies in general?
20:43 UTC
Gulf Coast, Galveston, TX Sept 21, 2023
20:19 UTC
What are these birds? They make a interesting noise. I quite like it!
I’m in the treasure coast in Florida
19:44 UTC
what type of warbler? southeast PA
19:44 UTC
Flagstaff Arizona
19:30 UTC
Bird was chillin in the shade
This bird was chillin in the shade with it’s mouth open. Tried giving it some water but it wouldn’t drink.
19:03 UTC
Is this a juvenile broad-winged hawk? Croton-on-hudson, NY
17:49 UTC