/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
401,332 Subscribers
Starlings?
Northern Virginia
21:52 UTC
I know it’s blurry…
But he took flight before I got fully set. I posted over on r/whatsthisbird and it was suggested to check here too.
Lassen County, Northern California. Just south of Honey Lake.
22:16 UTC
Weird winter goose anyone? Thought this goose I saw today in New Jersey was a clear Cackling Goose (Richardson's), but that white forehead patch is weird.
20:46 UTC
Did I just see a turkey vulture flying around? University of Maryland, College Park, USA
20:37 UTC
Dropped dead next to me on the bench... What is this poor little guy? South Carolina
20:06 UTC
bird identification !!
found this sweet bird that had died and found it on the pavement, what is it?
19:08 UTC
Does any one know what species this is and their gender?
17:44 UTC
Looking for bird species with 1 extra long feather on each wing.
I'm looking for bird species with 1 extra long feather on each wing. The bird is not that large, I think it's black. It has 1 extra long feather on each of its wings, dangling behind the bird when it's flying. Who can help me?
17:23 UTC
Is this a Cooper’s hawk? Kentucky USA
I looked at the guide describing a Cooper’s hawk, but I thought the tail feathers looked a bit short, but the lighting isn’t great.
17:12 UTC
Orange crowned warbler? East Tennessee
14:57 UTC
Are these both Tropical Kingbirds or could either/both be Western? [Costa Rica Nov 2023]
12:40 UTC
Looking for a bird
Hey Reddit. I come to you because i don't really know where to go for something like this.
I'm looking for this bird that I saw in a Instagram reel a few days ago.
It was kinda small, looked kinda silly, brown with some other light colors and what is more important, it had little hands. It had some black feathers in the front that looked like tiny hands.
I just thought it looked funny and i really liked it. Please help me identify this bird.
Also i made a drawing (and i'm really sorry for it). I can't remember the details, only the tiny hands. Pls help.
03:47 UTC
Tiny little bird I saw in Eastern Poland, can anybody ID it?
03:21 UTC
What bird is this? Took this picture in Los Angeles
02:49 UTC
Which bird of prey was stalking my parents’ small dog near St. Louis, MO?
Dog didn’t get attacked. They’re careful not to let him outside without a leash and I’m trying to convince them to get him one of those spiked vests. A neighbor saw their small dog get snatched by an owl.
02:40 UTC