/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
454,798 Subscribers
Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit?
Netherlands, Gelderland region. Spring 2024
We saw this bird a few months back and we can't reach a consensus. I think the extensive red on the chest/belly and the short(ish) bill are enough to ID this as the icelandic subspecies, am I right?
06:11 UTC
What kind of hawk is this. WA state
05:55 UTC
What’s this bird?
Location: Sri Lanka
05:14 UTC
Taken in Mid September in Northwest Indiana. Who is this guy?
02:58 UTC
Is it possible to identify these? Tromsø, Norway in late october.
Might not be the same species in the last picture.
02:35 UTC
Who is my hawk friend?
I thought sharp shinned at first but really don't know jack about hawks or falcons
00:43 UTC
Who’s this chonky feller?
Las Vegas for context. Came up on him and he won’t budge a muscle, even when I approached it and inquired “aye bro u good?” Is he hurt or cold? Pls lmk!
00:36 UTC
What's this bird? Found wounded in Rosario, Argentina
23:40 UTC
Im the suburbs of Tromsø, Norway
You guys seemed to love my drawings, so here's another! I appreciate you all.
23:36 UTC
Venice Beach. CA. Need help identifying a bird I saw today, thank you! Super far, so sorry. Wasn’t sure if it was possibly a Northern Harrier.
22:32 UTC
Venice Beach. CA. Need help identifying a bird I saw today, thank you!
22:30 UTC
Venice Beach. CA. Need help identifying a these birds I saw today, thank you!
22:28 UTC
(Northern California, USA) Probably not possible to ID due to quality, but what is this bird from my trail cam? Sitting on the clothes line next to a clothespin.
22:17 UTC
What bird is this in east Texas? Thanks.
21:39 UTC
Odd Bird Of Prey (Southern California)
Saw this bird of prey overhead at wetlands and couldn't recognize it. Merlin couldn't figure it out, and Google Lens said it was a Golden Eagle, but I wanted more experienced eyes on it. Thanks in advance.
21:27 UTC
Female Oregon or Slate-colored Junco in Central Arkansas?
20:45 UTC