Important! From March 19 at 6:00 am (EDT) to March 21 at 6:00 am, Birds of the World and some other Cornell Lab sites will be down for database maintenance. Please spread the word among your user community.

Discover the world of birds

Comprehensive life histories for all bird species and families
  • 11,017
    Species
  • 251
    Families
  • 1.5+ billion
    eBird Observations
  • 60,503,482
    Macaulay Library media
  • 2,144
    Authors

Subscribe to Birds of the World

Unlock species accounts, maps, multimedia, and bird family overviews.

Introductory Discount
10% off

Use promo code INTRO10

Discount applies to first term only for new subscribers

Valid until 31 Mar 2024

Subscriptions for your organization

For public and academic libraries, government agencies, consulting firms, nature centers, nonprofits, and more

Learn more about institutional subscriptions

Special Member Access

For Cornell Lab Chairman's Council members, AOS members, Public Libraries, Bird Clubs and other organizations

Special Member Access

Every bird has a story

Take a deep dive into the remarkable lives of birds with this dynamic natural history resource.


Scholarly Content

Birds of the World engages the global ornithological community to create the most in-depth, science-based content to illustrate the life histories of birds and bird families.

Read more about content sources


How To Contribute

Authors interested in contributing their research results to Birds of the World can learn more here. Observers can contribute data and media through eBird and Macaulay Library.

Read more about how to contribute

News and Webinars

Conservation Status

Percentages are calculated based on 11,017 species in Birds of the World.

Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List.
More information

Conservation status
Least Concern
71.3%
Near Threatened
7.9%
Vulnerable
6.2%
Endangered
3.5%
Critically Endangered
2%
Extinct in the Wild
0.05%
Extinct
1.4%
Not Evaluated
0%
Data Deficient
0.34%
Unknown
7.4%

About Birds of the World

Birds of the World is a powerful resource that brings deep, scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology into a single platform where biologists and birders can find comprehensive life history information on birds. Every bird has a story. Discover them all with Birds of the World.

Get updates

I agree to receive news, promotions, and updates about Birds of the World.