/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 Doppelgängers series:
Bird Doppelgängers, Pt. 1 (Chickadees, white herons, and more)
Bird Doppelgängers, Pt. 2 (Haemorhous finches, Aythya ducks, gallinules and more)
Bird Doppelgängers, Pt. 3 (North American Sparrows)
Bird Doppelgängers ID Guides: Birds of Oceania (Australia, NZ, New Guinea, etc.)
Bird Doppelgängers: similar birds worldwide (Part 1) (Magpies, Small White Egrets and more)
Similar birds worldwide (Part 2) (Herons, tits, buteos, corvids, Passer sparrows)
Other bird-related subreddits:
r/ornithology - bird science
r/birding - bird watching
r/birdphotography - bird photos
More identification fun:
Many thanks to stabberthomas for the fantastic header.
/r/whatsthisbird
450,941 Subscribers
What type of gull is this? Seen in Montreal, Canada, August 2023
02:37 UTC
Alright guys, it is time to do some meme identification
02:31 UTC
What raptor is this?
In Indianapolis, Indiana.
02:22 UTC
High soaring birds in New England
I was at the mall in central Connecticut this afternoon (still light out but approaching sunset) and there were a whole bunch of birds soaring high in the sky over the parking lot, many traveling together in a couple of V formations.
They had black wings and black heads but their stomachs were red. Not orangey red like a robin but red red like a cardinal. They were too high in the sky for me to get a good sense of how large they were or any other features but I tried to draw something, please excuse my poor efforts
01:10 UTC
Michigan - Cormorants?
00:06 UTC
Purple finch or House finch?
Once again, not the bird right in front of the camera. Can you tell if the bird in the back is a house finch, or a purple finch? His coloring and overall look is a little different from the typical male house finches that gather at my feeders. Close to Boston, MA.
23:39 UTC
First time in australia what is this bird?
23:06 UTC
What friend did this belong to?
I found this in a bag of items donated to the thrift store I work at so it could potentially be from elsewhere, but I’m located in Alberta Canada. I thought maybe magpie but I’m not sure!
22:41 UTC
Well out from the beach in Port St. Lucie, Florida today; Jaeger spp?
22:33 UTC
Spotted in a Queensland rainforest, what type of parrot is this?
22:28 UTC
What is this bird call??
So I’m in Mississippi, specifically the central part, and I’ve never heard this call before. It’s very distinct, three tones going lower and lower, two shorter tones, and then a longer one and happens a few times every fifteen to thirty minutes.
I’ve never heard this bird sound before and all the searching I’ve done all day has gotten me nowhere.
I’ve never been so intrested in a bird haha.
22:12 UTC
What is this bird?
lots of these tiny guys in my backyard - Southern Ontario. IDs appreciated, thank you!
22:07 UTC
What is this Bird!
Scottsdale AZ: At a work meeting and we are perplexed by this little bird. Our best guess is a curved bill thrasher but the bills are not curved and the coloring isn't matching. I wasn't getting an id from Merlin based on the calls either. When making calls they got all fluffed up. First time poster sorry for any mistakes! Edit: images didn't upload here's a link https://imgur.com/a/khn0ZPa
20:19 UTC