319 birds

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Q: Can all birds fly?

No. Flightless birds holds 19 that cannot. Nine are penguins, whose wings work as flippers for swimming. The rest include the Common ostrich, the Emu, the Southern cassowary and the Kakapo, the only parrot that cannot fly.

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Spotted: Scarlet tanagerScarlet tanagerEastern North America. The breeding male is red with black wings. In winter he turns olive like the female.
Spotted: North Island brown kiwiNorth Island brown kiwiNorth Island of New Zealand. Lays an egg that is huge for the size of the bird.
Spotted: Helmeted guineafowlHelmeted guineafowlAfrica south of the Sahara. Has a bony knob like a helmet on its bare head.
Spotted: Willie wagtailWillie wagtailAustralia and New Guinea. Named for the way it wags its tail from side to side as it feeds on the ground.
Spotted: Yellow-bellied sapsuckerYellow-bellied sapsuckerCanada and north-eastern USA. Drills rows of small holes in bark and drinks the sap.

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All 319 birds

Flightless birds 19

Adélie penguin Coast of Antarctica. Named after Adélie Land in Antarctica, which a French explorer named for his wife Adèle.
African penguin Coasts of southern Africa. Also called the jackass penguin for its donkey-like bray.
Chinstrap penguin Antarctica and southern islands. Named for the thin black band under its head.
Common ostrich Africa. The largest living bird. It lays the largest eggs and can run at 70 km/h.
Emperor penguin Antarctica. The male balances the egg on his feet through the Antarctic winter.
Emu Australia. The male sits on the eggs for about eight weeks and hardly eats.
Flightless cormorant Galápagos Islands. The only cormorant that cannot fly.
Galapagos penguin Galápagos Islands. No other penguin lives north of the equator.
Gentoo penguin Subantarctic islands and Antarctica. The fastest swimmer of all penguins, reaching 36 km/h.
Greater rhea South America. Several females lay in one nest, and the male hatches the eggs.
Inaccessible Island rail Inaccessible Island, South Atlantic. The smallest flightless bird alive today.
Kakapo New Zealand. The only parrot that cannot fly, and the heaviest. It is active at night.
King penguin Subantarctic islands. The second largest penguin. A chick takes over a year to fledge.
Little penguin Southern Australia and New Zealand. The smallest penguin, about 33 cm tall.
Macaroni penguin Subantarctic islands. Named by sailors for its yellow crest, after a showy fashion called macaroni.
North Island brown kiwi North Island of New Zealand. Lays an egg that is huge for the size of the bird.
South Island takahe South Island of New Zealand. Thought extinct until it was found again in 1948.
Southern cassowary New Guinea and north-east Australia. The inner toe carries a claw like a dagger, as long as 12 cm.
Weka New Zealand. A bold flightless rail known for carrying off shiny objects.

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Birds of prey 32

African fish eagle Africa south of the Sahara. National bird of four countries: Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
American kestrel North and South America. North America's smallest falcon, and its most common.
Andean condor Andes of South America. Its wingspan can reach 3.3 m.
Bald eagle North America. No North American bird builds a bigger nest, up to 4 m deep.
Bateleur Africa south of the Sahara. Its name is French for a street performer, after the way it rocks in flight.
Bearded vulture Mountains of Europe, Asia, Africa. Eats mostly bone, and drops big bones onto rocks to crack them.
Black kite Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Thought to be the most abundant bird of prey in the world.
California condor California, Arizona and Utah. In 1987 the last 27 were caught for breeding; released birds now fly free.
Common kestrel Europe, Asia and Africa. Hovers on the spot over open ground while it looks for voles.
Crested caracara Southern USA to South America. A falcon that spends much of its time walking on the ground.
Egyptian vulture Southern Europe, Africa and India. Throws pebbles at large eggs to crack them, a rare case of bird tool use.
Eurasian sparrowhawk Europe, Asia and North Africa. The female is as much as 25% larger than the male.
Golden eagle Europe, Asia and North America. Named for the golden-brown feathers on the back of its head and neck.
Gyrfalcon Arctic coasts and tundra. The largest of all falcons, often white in the far north.
Harpy eagle Central and South America. Plucks sloths and monkeys out of the rainforest canopy.
Harris's hawk South-western USA to Argentina. Hunts in family groups that work together, rare among birds of prey.
King vulture Central and South America. Its bare head and neck are orange, yellow, purple and red.
Martial eagle Africa south of the Sahara. Among the biggest and strongest eagles in Africa.
Merlin North America, Europe and Asia. A small falcon once called the pigeon hawk in North America.
Northern harrier North America. Has an owl-like face that funnels the sound of prey to its ears.
Osprey Every continent except Antarctica. Eats almost nothing but fish and can turn one toe backwards to grip them.
Peregrine falcon Worldwide. Its hunting dive is often said to pass 320 km/h, faster than any other animal.
Philippine eagle Philippines. The national bird of the Philippines and the longest eagle alive today.
Red kite Europe. Steers with a long forked tail as it glides.
Red-tailed hawk North America. Its hoarse scream is used on screen as the sound of almost any bird of prey.
Rüppell's vulture Sahel of Africa. One hit a plane at 11,300 m in 1973, the highest a bird is known to have flown.
Secretarybird Africa south of the Sahara. Hunts on foot and stamps on snakes with its long legs.
Snail kite Florida to South America. Its thin hooked bill pulls apple snails out of their shells.
Steller's sea eagle Coasts of Russia and Japan. On average the world's heaviest eagle: 5 to 10 kg.
Turkey vulture North and South America. Finds its food by smell, which few birds can do.
Wedge-tailed eagle Australia and New Guinea. Australia's largest bird of prey; its name comes from its wedge-shaped tail.
White-tailed eagle Europe and northern Asia. Nearly wiped out in Europe, then brought back to Scotland, Ireland and England.

Owls 15

Barred owl North America. Birders remember its hooting call as the phrase who cooks for you, who cooks for you all.
Blakiston's fish owl Russia, China and Japan. The largest living owl. It hunts fish along rivers.
Burrowing owl North and South America. Nests underground, often in a burrow dug by prairie dogs.
Elf owl South-western USA and Mexico. The lightest owl, at about 40 g. Nests in old woodpecker holes.
Eurasian eagle-owl Europe and Asia. One of the largest owls, with a wingspan of up to 1.88 m.
Great grey owl Northern forests. Hears voles under deep snow and plunges through it to catch them.
Great horned owl North and South America. Its horns are only tufts of feathers.
Little owl Europe, Asia and North Africa. The owl of the goddess Athena, stamped on ancient Greek coins.
Morepork New Zealand. Named for the sound of its call.
Northern saw-whet owl North America. Named for a call that sounds like a saw sharpened on a whetstone.
Powerful owl Eastern Australia. The largest owl in Australia.
Snowy owl Arctic tundra. Unlike most owls it often hunts by day.
Spectacled owl Mexico to South America. Named for the white markings on its face, which look like spectacles.
Tawny owl Europe and western Asia. The famous tu-whit tu-who is really a pair calling: she calls and he answers.
Western barn owl Europe, Africa and western Asia. Has a white heart-shaped face.

Parrots 16

Blue-and-yellow macaw South America. It can blush: the bare white skin on its face turns pink.
Budgerigar Australia. Wild budgerigars are green and yellow and roam in flocks.
Burrowing parrot Argentina and Chile. Digs nest tunnels in cliffs.
Cockatiel Australia. The smallest of the cockatoos.
Galah Australia. A pink and grey cockatoo. In Australian slang a galah is a fool.
Grey parrot West and Central Africa. A grey parrot called Alex learned more than 100 words in a long study.
Hyacinth macaw Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. The longest parrot, about 1 m from head to tail tip.
Kea South Island of New Zealand. A mountain parrot known for intelligence and curiosity. It can solve puzzles.
Monk parakeet South America. Builds a big nest in the open, which few parrots do. Pairs share it, each with its own door.
Palm cockatoo New Guinea and northern Australia. The male drums on a hollow tree with a stick he has shaped.
Rainbow lorikeet Australia. The tip of its tongue has a brush-like end for gathering pollen and nectar.
Rose-ringed parakeet Africa and South Asia. Escaped pets now breed wild in London and other cities in Europe.
Rosy-faced lovebird South-western Africa. The female tears nest material into long strips and carries them tucked on her back.
Scarlet macaw Central and South America. The national bird of Honduras.
Spix's macaw Brazil. Died out in the wild, then captive-bred birds were released in Brazil in 2022.
Sulphur-crested cockatoo Australia and New Guinea. In Sydney some have learned to open rubbish bins.

Seabirds 23

Arctic tern Arctic to Antarctic. Flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back each year.
Atlantic puffin North Atlantic. Its bright bill plates fall off after the breeding season.
Black skimmer Coasts of the Americas. The lower half of its bill is longer, and it slices the water as the bird flies.
Black-legged kittiwake North Atlantic and North Pacific. Named for its call, which sounds like kittee-wa-aaake.
Blue-footed booby Pacific coast of the Americas. The male shows off his bright blue feet in a high-stepping dance.
Brown pelican Coasts of the Americas. Plunges head first into the sea to scoop up fish.
Common murre North Atlantic and North Pacific. Lays one egg, pointed at one end, on a bare cliff ledge with no nest.
European herring gull Coasts of western Europe. Chicks peck the red spot on a parent's bill to ask for food.
Great cormorant Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Fishermen in China train cormorants to catch fish for them.
Great skua North Atlantic. Chases other seabirds until they drop their catch.
Inca tern Coasts of Peru and Chile. Both sexes wear a curling white moustache.
Laysan albatross North Pacific. One named Wisdom, ringed in 1956, is the oldest known wild bird.
Magnificent frigatebird Tropical Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The male blows up a red throat pouch like a balloon.
Manx shearwater North Atlantic. One ringed in 1953 was caught again 50 years later. It winters off Brazil and Argentina.
Northern fulmar North Atlantic and North Pacific. Spits a foul-smelling stomach oil at anything that comes too near the nest.
Northern gannet North Atlantic. Plunges into the sea for fish, hitting the water at up to 100 km/h.
Red-billed tropicbird Tropical Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean. Two tail streamers are about as long as the rest of the bird.
Snow petrel Antarctica. One of only three birds seen at the South Pole.
Snowy albatross Southern Ocean. Also called the wandering albatross. No living bird has longer wings, up to 3.7 m across.
Sooty shearwater Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In one year, tagged birds from New Zealand reached Japan, Alaska and California.
Sooty tern Tropical oceans. Stays out over the ocean for years at a time and comes to land only to breed.
Tufted puffin North Pacific. Grows long yellow head tufts for the breeding season.
Wilson's storm petrel Breeds around Antarctica. Patters its feet on the water as it hovers to feed.

Waterbirds and waders 51

African jacana Africa south of the Sahara. Walks on lily pads on very long toes. The male raises the chicks.
African sacred ibis Africa south of the Sahara. Ancient Egyptians linked it to the god Thoth and made mummies of it.
American flamingo Caribbean and Galápagos. The only flamingo that lives naturally in North America.
American woodcock Eastern North America. Its eyes sit so far back that it can see all around and above.
Anhinga South-eastern USA to South America. Swims with only its neck above water, so it is called the snakebird.
Australasian swamphen Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. Called the pūkeko in New Zealand.
Bar-headed goose Central Asia and India. Crosses the Himalayas on migration, among the highest-flying birds in the world.
Bar-tailed godwit Breeds in the Arctic. Flies from Alaska to New Zealand non-stop, the longest such flight of any bird.
Barnacle goose Greenland, Svalbard and Russia. People once believed it hatched from barnacles on driftwood.
Black swan Australia. Europeans thought all swans were white until they saw it in Australia in 1697.
Black-crowned night heron The Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Stands still at the water's edge to ambush prey, mainly at night.
Black-winged stilt Europe, Asia and Africa. Wades on very long pink legs.
Canada goose North America. Black on the head and neck, with a white strap under the chin. Flocks migrate in a V.
Common eider Northern coasts of Europe and America. Eiderdown is the soft down the female plucks to line her nest.
Common loon North America, Greenland and Iceland. Appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, the loonie.
Common snipe Europe and Asia. Makes a drumming sound with its tail feathers as it dives.
Dalmatian pelican South-eastern Europe to China. The largest pelican, and among the biggest birds that fly.
Eurasian coot Europe, Asia, Australia and North Africa. Has long, partly webbed toes and a white shield on its forehead.
Eurasian curlew Europe and Asia. The largest wader in its range, with a very long down-curved bill.
Eurasian oystercatcher Europe and Asia. Uses its strong orange bill to open mussels and dig for worms.
Great blue heron North and Central America. The largest heron in North America.
Great crested grebe Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. Known for an elaborate courtship dance in which the pair move in step.
Great egret Worldwide in warm regions. The National Audubon Society's symbol.
Greater flamingo Africa, southern Europe and Asia. The largest flamingo. Its pink comes from pigments in its food.
Grey crowned crane Eastern and southern Africa. The national bird of Uganda, shown on its flag.
Grey heron Europe, Asia and Africa. Stands still at the water's edge for long spells, then spears a fish.
Hamerkop Africa and Madagascar. Builds a roofed stick nest up to 1.5 m across.
Killdeer North and Central America. Pretends to have a broken wing to lead enemies away from its nest.
Lesser flamingo Africa and India. Most of them breed on one soda lake, Lake Natron in Tanzania.
Mallard Europe, Asia and North America. The wild ancestor of most farm ducks.
Mandarin duck East Asia. In China a pair is a symbol of a faithful marriage.
Marabou stork Africa south of the Sahara. Its wingspan can pass 3 m, one of the widest of any land bird.
Mute swan Europe and Asia. Among the heaviest birds that fly.
Nene Hawaii. The state bird of Hawaii, down to about 30 birds in 1952.
Northern lapwing Europe and Asia. Has a thin crest and makes a peewit call, its other name.
Pied avocet Europe, Asia and Africa. The logo of the RSPB, a British bird charity, since its return to England in 1947.
Red-crowned crane East Asia. A symbol of luck and long life in East Asia.
Red-necked phalarope Arctic; winters at sea. Spins on the water to stir up food. The male rears the chicks alone.
Roseate spoonbill South-eastern USA to South America. Its pink comes from pigments in its food.
Ruddy turnstone Arctic coasts; winters worldwide. Flips stones over to find food underneath.
Ruff Northern Europe and Asia. Breeding males grow a big collar of feathers and display together.
Sandhill crane North America. Hundreds of thousands stop on the Platte River in Nebraska on migration.
Scarlet ibis South America and the Caribbean. One of Trinidad and Tobago's two national birds.
Shoebill Swamps of East and Central Africa. Its huge bill is shaped like a shoe and ends in a sharp hook.
Snow goose Arctic North America. Comes in two colours, white and a dark form called the blue goose.
Trumpeter swan North America. The heaviest bird native to North America.
Western cattle egret Africa, Europe and the Americas. Follows cattle to catch the insects they stir up.
White stork Europe, North Africa and Asia. Nests on roofs and chimneys. Legend says it brings babies.
Whooping crane North America. The tallest bird in North America. Only 21 wild birds were left in 1941.
Wood duck North America. Day-old ducklings jump from the tree-hole nest to the ground.
Wrybill New Zealand. The only bird whose bill bends sideways, always to the right.

Game birds 17

Australian brushturkey Eastern Australia. The male checks the heat of his nest mound with his beak.
California quail Western North America. The state bird of California, with a curled plume on its head.
Common pheasant Asia; introduced widely. Native to Asia but released for hunting around the world.
Golden pheasant Mountain forests of China. The male has a golden crest, a red body and a barred orange cape.
Great argus Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. The male's wing feathers carry rows of eye-like spots.
Helmeted guineafowl Africa south of the Sahara. Has a bony knob like a helmet on its bare head.
Himalayan monal Himalayas. The national bird of Nepal.
Indian peafowl India and Sri Lanka. The peacock's train is not its tail. It is made of long feathers above the tail.
Malleefowl Southern Australia. Buries its eggs in a big mound of rotting leaves that keeps them warm.
Northern bobwhite Eastern North America and Mexico. Named for its clear whistled call, bob-white.
Red junglefowl South and South-east Asia. The main wild ancestor of the chicken.
Rock ptarmigan Arctic and high mountains. Turns white for winter and brown for summer.
Sage grouse Western North America. Males gather to display, puffing up two yellowish air sacs on the neck.
Vulturine guineafowl North-east Africa. The largest guineafowl, named for its bare vulture-like head.
Western capercaillie Forests of Europe and northern Asia. The largest of all grouse.
Wild turkey North America. The wild ancestor of the farm turkey.
Willow ptarmigan Northern forests and tundra. The state bird of Alaska.

Hummingbirds and swifts 12

Alpine swift Southern Europe to the Himalayas. Tagged birds stayed airborne for over six months.
Anna's hummingbird West coast of North America. The male's tail feathers chirp at the bottom of his display dive.
Bee hummingbird Cuba. The smallest bird in the world.
Calliope hummingbird Western North America. No bird native to Canada or the United States is smaller.
Chimney swift Eastern North America. Cannot perch. It clings to the inside walls of chimneys.
Common swift Europe and Asia; winters in Africa. Some stay in the air for ten months without landing.
Edible-nest swiftlet South-east Asia. Its nest of hardened saliva is the main part of bird's nest soup.
Marvelous spatuletail Northern Peru. The male's two outer tail feathers are bare wires that cross over and end in dark discs.
Ruby-throated hummingbird Eastern North America. Many cross the Gulf of Mexico in one non-stop flight.
Rufous hummingbird Alaska to Mexico. Flies over 3,200 km each way on migration, though it weighs only 3 to 4 g.
Sword-billed hummingbird Andes of South America. The only bird with a bill longer than its body, not counting the tail.
White-throated needletail Asia; winters in Australia. Said to reach 170 km/h, though the speed has not been confirmed.

Woodpeckers, kingfishers and kin 25

Acorn woodpecker Western USA to Colombia. Stores acorns in holes drilled in one tree. A tree can hold thousands.
Belted kingfisher North America. The female has a rusty band across her belly that the adult male lacks.
Black woodpecker Europe and northern Asia. A crow-sized woodpecker.
Common hoopoe Europe, Asia and Africa. The national bird of Israel.
Common kingfisher Europe, Asia and North Africa. Dives into water for small fish.
Cuban tody Cuba. A tiny green bird with a red throat, found only in Cuba.
Downy woodpecker North America. The smallest woodpecker in North America.
Eurasian wryneck Europe and Asia. Twists its neck and hisses like a snake when it is disturbed.
European bee-eater Southern Europe, Africa and Asia. Rubs a bee on a branch to remove the sting before eating it.
Gila woodpecker South-western USA and Mexico. Digs its nest hole in a saguaro cactus.
Great hornbill India and South-east Asia. The female seals herself inside the nest hole until the chicks are part grown.
Great spotted woodpecker Europe and Asia. Drums on dead branches in spring in place of a song.
Greater honeyguide Africa south of the Sahara. Leads people to wild bee nests, then eats the wax left behind.
Keel-billed toucan Southern Mexico to Colombia. The national bird of Belize.
Laughing kookaburra Eastern Australia. Families call together in a chorus that sounds like loud laughter.
Lilac-breasted roller Eastern and southern Africa. Flies in a rolling pattern to drive intruders away from its nest.
Northern flicker North America. A woodpecker that feeds mostly on the ground, eating ants.
Pied kingfisher Africa and Asia. Hovers over water before it dives for fish.
Pileated woodpecker North America. Chips out large rectangular holes as it digs for carpenter ants.
Resplendent quetzal Southern Mexico to Panama. The national bird of Guatemala, and the name of its money.
Rhinoceros hornbill Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. The national bird of Malaysia.
Southern ground hornbill Southern and eastern Africa. The largest hornbill. It hunts on foot.
Toco toucan South America. The largest toucan. Its bill sheds body heat to keep the bird cool.
Turquoise-browed motmot Mexico and Central America. Called the clock bird in the Yucatán for its tail, which swings like a pendulum.
Yellow-bellied sapsucker Canada and north-eastern USA. Drills rows of small holes in bark and drinks the sap.

Pigeons, cuckoos and others 23

Common cuckoo Europe and Asia; winters in Africa. Leaves its eggs in other birds' nests, and they raise the chick.
Common poorwill Western North America. The only bird known to hibernate.
Common potoo Central and South America. By day it sits still on a stump and looks like part of the wood.
Common wood pigeon Europe and western Asia. Has a white patch on each side of its neck.
Eurasian collared dove Europe and Asia; now North America. Spread across Europe from the Balkans during the 20th century.
European nightjar Europe and Asia; winters in Africa. An old myth says it drinks milk from goats.
Great blue turaco West and Central Africa. The largest of the turacos.
Great bustard Spain to Central Asia. Among the heaviest birds that fly.
Greater roadrunner South-western USA and Mexico. A cuckoo that runs at up to 32 km/h.
Hoatzin Amazon and Orinoco basins. Chicks have claws on their wings for climbing.
Kagu New Caledonia. A nearly flightless grey bird found only on New Caledonia.
Kori bustard Eastern and southern Africa. The male may be the heaviest bird that can fly.
Luzon bleeding-heart Luzon in the Philippines. A red patch on its white breast looks like a wound.
Mourning dove North and Central America. Its wings whistle as it takes off.
Namaqua sandgrouse Deserts of southern Africa. The male soaks up water in his breast feathers and flies it back to his chicks.
Nicobar pigeon Islands from India to the Solomons. The dodo's closest living relative.
Oilbird Northern South America and Trinidad. Flies out at night to eat fruit and finds its way in caves by echo.
Pink pigeon Mauritius. Only 10 were left in 1991.
Red-legged seriema South America. Beats its prey against the ground.
Rock dove Europe, North Africa and Asia. The wild ancestor of town pigeons and homing pigeons.
Sunbittern Central and South America. Spreads its wings to show two big eye-like spots when alarmed.
Tawny frogmouth Australia. Often taken for an owl.
Victoria crowned pigeon New Guinea. Named after Queen Victoria.

Songbirds 86

American crow North America. Outside the nesting season, thousands roost together at night.
American goldfinch North America. The state bird of Iowa, New Jersey and Washington.
American robin North America. A thrush named by settlers after the European robin.
Andean cock-of-the-rock Andes of South America. The national bird of Peru.
Atlantic canary Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira. The wild ancestor of the pet canary. Wild birds are greenish.
Australian magpie Australia and southern New Guinea. Some swoop at people who walk near the nest in spring.
Australian zebra finch Australia. A finch of dry country that is the most studied songbird in laboratories.
Baltimore oriole Eastern North America. Named for the orange and black of Lord Baltimore's coat of arms.
Barn swallow Worldwide. The most widespread swallow in the world.
Black-capped chickadee North America. The more dee notes in its chick-a-dee call, the greater the danger it has seen.
Blackpoll warbler North America; winters in South America. Flies non-stop over the ocean for about three days each autumn.
Blue jay Eastern North America. Can copy the calls of hawks.
Bobolink North America; winters in South America. One tagged bird flew about 19,000 km in a year.
Bohemian waxwing Northern forests. In some winters flocks roam far south in search of berries.
Brown thrasher Eastern North America. Sings more than 1,000 different song types.
Brown-headed cowbird North America. Leaves its eggs in other birds' nests.
Cactus wren South-western USA and Mexico. The state bird of Arizona.
Cedar waxwing North America. Named for the red wax-like tips on its wing feathers.
Clark's nutcracker Western North America. One bird can bury up to 98,000 pine seeds in a season and find them by memory.
Common blackbird Europe, Asia and North Africa. The national bird of Sweden.
Common hill myna South and South-east Asia. Famous for copying human speech.
Common nightingale Europe and Asia; winters in Africa. Sings by day and by night.
Common starling Europe and Asia; introduced widely. Huge flocks wheel in the evening sky in shapes called murmurations.
Common tailorbird South and South-east Asia. Sews leaves together with spider silk or plant fibre to hold its nest.
Dark-eyed junco North America. Flashes white outer tail feathers as it flies up.
Eastern bluebird Eastern North America. Takes readily to nest boxes. Its numbers came back late in the 20th century.
Eurasian blue tit Europe and western Asia. In Britain it learned to open milk bottle tops to drink the cream.
Eurasian golden oriole Europe and western Asia; winters in Africa. The bright yellow and black male is hard to see in the treetops.
Eurasian jay Europe, Asia and North Africa. Buries acorns in autumn. One bird can spread more than a thousand a year.
Eurasian magpie Europe and Asia. One of the few animals to recognise itself in a mirror.
Eurasian skylark Europe and Asia. Sings while hovering high in the air.
Eurasian wren Europe, Asia and North Africa. Its voice is huge for its size.
European goldfinch Europe, the west of Asia and North Africa. Its fine bill pulls seeds from thistles and teasels.
European robin Europe, North Africa and the west of Asia. Sings even in winter, and appears on British Christmas cards.
Florida scrub jay Florida. The only bird found in Florida and nowhere else.
Goldcrest Europe and Asia. The smallest bird in Europe.
Gouldian finch Northern Australia. Its head can be red, black or yellow.
Great kiskadee Texas to Argentina. Its loud three-note call gives it the name bem-te-vi in Brazil.
Great tit Europe and Asia. Its two-note song sounds like teacher, teacher.
Greater bird-of-paradise New Guinea and the Aru Islands. Early skins reached Europe with no feet, so people thought it never landed.
Hawfinch Europe and Asia. Cracks cherry stones with its huge bill.
Hooded pitohui New Guinea. One of the few poisonous birds. The toxin is in its skin and feathers.
House sparrow Worldwide near people. The most widely spread wild bird in the world.
Indigo bunting Eastern North America. Migrates at night and steers by the stars.
Java sparrow Java and Bali. A popular cage bird.
King of Saxony bird-of-paradise Mountains of New Guinea. The male has two head plumes.
Loggerhead shrike North America. Spikes its prey on thorns or barbed wire to store it.
Long-tailed manakin Mexico to Costa Rica. Two or three males team up for years and dance together. Only the lead male mates.
Long-tailed tit Europe and Asia. Builds a stretchy ball nest of moss, spider silk and lichen.
Montezuma oropendola Mexico to Panama. Weaves hanging nests up to 180 cm long, many in one tree.
New Caledonian crow New Caledonia. Makes hooked tools from twigs to pull grubs out of wood.
New Zealand fantail New Zealand. Half its length is tail, which it often spreads out like a fan.
Northern cardinal Eastern North America and Mexico. The state bird of seven US states.
Northern mockingbird North America. Copies the songs of other birds.
Northern raven Northern Hemisphere. Also called the common raven. It is the heaviest of all perching birds.
Oriental magpie-robin South and South-east Asia. The national bird of Bangladesh.
Ovenbird North America. Named for its domed nest, shaped like an old oven.
Painted bunting Southern USA and Mexico. The male is blue, green and red.
Pin-tailed whydah Africa south of the Sahara. The breeding male's tail adds about 20 cm to a body only 12 to 13 cm long.
Purple martin North America; winters in South America. In the east it nests almost only in boxes and gourds people put up.
Raggiana bird-of-paradise Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea's national bird, shown on its flag.
Red crossbill Conifer forests of the north. The tips of its bill cross over, a tool for prising open cones.
Red-billed oxpecker Eastern Africa. Rides on large mammals and eats the ticks on their skin.
Red-billed quelea Africa south of the Sahara. The most numerous wild bird in the world.
Red-winged blackbird North and Central America. The male flashes red and yellow shoulder patches.
Rufous hornero South America. The national bird of Argentina. Builds a mud nest like a clay oven.
Satin bowerbird Eastern Australia. The male decorates his bower with blue things.
Scarlet tanager Eastern North America. The breeding male is red with black wings. In winter he turns olive like the female.
Scissor-tailed flycatcher Southern USA and Mexico. The state bird of Oklahoma.
Snow bunting Arctic. No other songbird has been recorded so far north.
Sociable weaver Southern Africa. Builds huge shared nests that can house over a hundred pairs.
Song thrush Europe and western Asia. Smashes snail shells on a favourite stone, called an anvil.
Superb fairywren South-eastern Australia. The breeding male is bright blue and black.
Superb lyrebird South-eastern Australia. Copies the sounds around it, from other birds to camera shutters.
Superb starling East Africa. Glossy blue-green above and orange below.
Tui New Zealand. Has two white throat tufts and copies sounds, even speech.
Vermilion flycatcher South-western USA to South America. The male is bright red with a dark brown back and mask.
Western meadowlark Western North America. The state bird of six US states.
White bellbird Guianas, Venezuela and Brazil. Has the loudest call of any bird, measured at 125 decibels.
White wagtail Europe, Asia and North Africa. The national bird of Latvia.
White-breasted nuthatch North America. Walks head first down tree trunks.
White-throated dipper Europe, Asia and North Africa. Swims underwater in fast streams, using its wings. Norway's national bird.
White-throated sparrow Canada and eastern USA. Its song is often written as Oh sweet Canada, Canada.
Willie wagtail Australia and New Guinea. Named for the way it wags its tail from side to side as it feeds on the ground.
Wilson's bird-of-paradise Islands off West Papua. The male has a bare blue crown and two curled tail feathers.
Woodpecker finch Galápagos Islands. Uses a twig or cactus spine as a tool to dig out grubs.

How this list was compiled: All 319 entries were checked on 2026-09-18. English names, scientific names, families and orders follow the IOC World Bird List, version 15.2 (Gill, F, D Donsker and P Rasmussen, Eds, 2026, doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.15.2), read from the master list at https://worldbirdnames.org/master_ioc_list_v15.2.xlsx; every name on this list is a species in that file. Each bird's range and fact were read against its English Wikipedia article, fetched that day; the article checked is the x.src URL on each item (for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretarybird and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_hummingbird). Facts the article did not state plainly were reworded to what it does say or left out, and records the article calls disputed are worded as disputed. The eleven groups are our own everyday grouping, not a scientific one; counts are counted from the dataset. A bird may sit in two groups (the nine penguins and the Flightless cormorant are both flightless birds and seabirds, the Kakapo is a parrot and a flightless bird), and the full list prints each bird once, under the first of its groups. The region list on each item (x.region, used by the Lives in row) was read on 2026-09-19 from the item's own where text: North America includes Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean runs from Mexico south, Hawaii counts with Australia and the Pacific, a bird of the far north counts for North America, Europe and Asia, and a bird of the open ocean or the Antarctic counts under Oceans and Antarctica alone. The Canada goose line was rewritten on 2026-09-19 from a fresh read of its article. Wording is our own. Licence: bird names: IOC World Bird List 15.2, CC BY 3.0 (Gill, Donsker and Rasmussen, Eds, 2026); ranges, facts and wording: own work

How it works

From the Bee hummingbird of Cuba, the smallest bird in the world, to the Common ostrich, the largest, 319 real birds are on this list. Press Pick 5 new birds: each card says where the bird lives and adds a checked fact.

Read the full guide

One name for each bird, all from one list

Bird names change from book to book, so every English name here comes from the IOC World Bird List, version 15.2, which covers more than 11,000 species. The common raven appears as Northern raven, the wandering albatross as Snowy albatross, the guillemot as Common murre and the great northern diver as Common loon. The menu under the button reads Any kind. Buttons for parts of the world, such as Europe, are under More filters, and the two work together: Owls with Europe leaves six birds, Parrots with Australia and the Pacific eight.

A spotting sheet for a zoo trip

Tick the box beside a bird when you see it and a tally keeps count. Press Print for a sheet with a box beside each bird.

Choose Birds of prey for 32 daytime hunters: eagles, hawks, kites, falcons, vultures and the Secretarybird, which hunts on foot.
Oceans and Antarctica holds 24 birds, among them the Arctic tern, which flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back each year.
The full list under the tool prints each bird once, so the nine penguins sit under Flightless birds, not Seabirds.

Questions and answers

Does the random bird generator include extinct birds?

No. Every entry is a species on the IOC World Bird List, and extinct birds are left out: the Dodo and the Great auk are in the random extinct animal generator. Each fact was checked against the bird's Wikipedia article in September 2026.

Are owls birds of prey?

Yes. Owls hunt with hooked bills and sharp talons, as hawks and eagles do, though mostly by night. They are a separate order of birds, so the 15 owls have an entry of their own in the Any kind menu.

Can all birds fly?

No. Flightless birds holds 19 that cannot. Nine are penguins, whose wings work as flippers for swimming. The rest include the Common ostrich, the Emu, the Southern cassowary and the Kakapo, the only parrot that cannot fly.