r/whatsthisbird • • Jun 01 '26

Meta Found a baby bird that might need help? Look here for instructions on what to do

Thumbnail wildlifecenter.org
11 Upvotes

r/whatsthisbird • • Jun 01 '26

Meta Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds

12 Upvotes

For more information, please see this article. Some excerpts from the article, and additional resources are below:

1) Make Windows Safer, Day and Night:

Around 1 billion birds (United States) and 25 million birds (Canada) die every year by flying into glass windows. This includes windows at all levels from low level houses to high rise buildings.

!Window collisions are one of the largest threats to bird populations. However, there are several ways you can help reduce window fatality. Below are some links with steps on how to make your house bird friendly, either DIY or through reputable companies such as the American Bird Conservancy.

Is My House Bird Safe Quiz

What You Can Do

Follow bird migration forecasts to know when birds are on their way to you

FAQ

Some additional information for schools and universities - Bird-Friendly Campus Toolkit

Additional Information

2) Keep Cats Indoors

!Cats are estimated to kill more than 2.4 billion birds annually in the U.S. and Canada. This is the #1 human-caused reason for the loss of birds, aside from habitat loss.

Cats are the greatest direct human-caused threat to birds

American Bird Conservacy - Cats Indoors Project to learn more.

3) Reduce Lawn, Plant Natives

Birds have fewer places to safely rest during migration and to raise their young: More than 10 million acres of land in the United States were converted to developed land from 1982 to 1997

Find out which native plants are best for your area

4) Avoid Pesticides

More than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied in the United States each year. The continent’s most widely used insecticides, called neonicotinoids or “neonics,” are lethal to birds and to the insects that birds consume.

5) Drink Coffee That’s Good for Birds

Three-quarters of the world’s coffee farms grow their plants in the sun, destroying forests that birds and other wildlife need for food and shelter. Sun-grown coffee also often requires using environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers. On the other hand, shade-grown coffee preserves a forest canopy that helps migratory birds survive the winter.

Where to Buy Bird Friendly Coffee

6) Protect Our Planet from Plastic

It’s estimated that 4,900 million metric tons of plastic have accumulated in landfills and in our environment worldwide, polluting our oceans and harming wildlife such as seabirds, whales, and turtles that mistakenly eat plastic, or become entangled in it.

7) Watch Birds, Share What You See

Monitoring birds is essential to help protect them, but tracking the health of the world’s 10,000 bird species is an immense challenge.

Report your bird sightings on eBird


r/whatsthisbird • • 7h ago

North America Wilson’s Snipe?

Thumbnail
gallery
244 Upvotes

Trotting around a parking lot! Palo Alto, CA


r/whatsthisbird • • 7h ago

North America Who is this guy.

Thumbnail
gallery
97 Upvotes

Oklahoma. This is definitely not a native bird.

Edit: most likely an American coot. I’ve just never seen one before here and they were all alone. Had to chase them out of the road in a parking lot because they refused to move for a car.


r/whatsthisbird • • 11h ago

North America Eastern Ontario - backyard. What is this bird?

Thumbnail
gallery
145 Upvotes

SOLVED - Cooper’s Hawk

Hi everyone,

Just saw this beauty for the first time in 4 years here. We’ve had some mice in the backyard so we thought it might be hunting. Whatever it is, it’s gorgeous! Thank you for your help!!!


r/whatsthisbird • • 13h ago

North America Possible Cackling Goose (USA, NY)

Thumbnail
gallery
102 Upvotes

I found this goose today at a local park. I have had Cackling Geese here before, but this one is tripping me up. It has a short bill, a short neck, and was significantly smaller than its Canada Goose Friends. The head shape looks a little off compared to what I typically search for in Cackling Geese, but perhaps it got wet and matted down or something? I’m unsure if this is just a really small Canada Goose, or perhaps even a hybrid if it isn’t a Cackling Goose. I have asked several experts, and even they aren’t 100% sure, so I’m looking for as many opinions as possible.


r/whatsthisbird • • 16h ago

North America What kind of Eagle or Hawk is this? In Scottsdale AZ

145 Upvotes

r/whatsthisbird • • 13h ago

Europe Identification required

Thumbnail
gallery
79 Upvotes

I was visiting my Parents a couple months ago and saw this cool bird, as I was scrolling through my gallery I saw the picture I took and was curious about what kind of bird it is.

If it helps my parents live in the northern Part of Germany.

Also I really have no idea about birds


r/whatsthisbird • • 4h ago

North America What's this bird I saw in Bryant Park, Manhattan?

Post image
13 Upvotes

r/whatsthisbird • • 10h ago

North America Having trouble with this one, any ideas ?

Thumbnail
gallery
36 Upvotes

Seen in Illinois’s


r/whatsthisbird • • 6h ago

North America Bird munching

15 Upvotes

In Iowa


r/whatsthisbird • • 7h ago

North America This time, with video...

16 Upvotes

I think these are the dowitchers from the other day. Any idea on which ones?

Columbia Slough, portland oregon.


r/whatsthisbird • • 7h ago

North America Gull ID Help - Northern Colorado

Thumbnail
gallery
12 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I found this gull at Timnath Reservoir on Monday (10/12) while looking for the Iceland Gull that had been reported there, which I did find!

While I was there, another birder pointed out a large gull with a dark gray/black back. Gulls are definitely an area that I struggle with IDs in, so I was hoping to get some help.

I initially reported this as a Great Black-backed Gull, but after looking through my photos and comparing field marks, I’m now leaning towards Western Gull and I updated my eBird checklist to reflect that.

However, my report has disappeared from the eBird Rare Bird Alert page, which has me wondering if I missed the ID on this bird. I haven’t heard anything from eBird reviewers, so I’m really not sure.

I attached my only photos of the bird, which aren’t great so I apologize, but they are the same ones I put on my checklist.

So, what do you guys think? Western Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, or am I completely wrong and it’s something else?

Thanks in advance for any help!


r/whatsthisbird • • 14h ago

North America Brown Creeper? Northeast PA

43 Upvotes

Fairly certain this is a brown creeper. They have been bopping around on the trees behind the bird bath for a few weeks, but unfortunately EVERY time they get in the bird bath, the camera glitches. I watched one with my binoculars yesterday afternoon at the bath, but the video is completely pixelated. This one is from just now. I didn’t see in person what it was this time, but the video is a bit more clear despite all the rain. It almost looks like it could be a chipping sparrow too - we have loads of them, but I haven’t seen them at my feeders for awhile.

Thanks!


r/whatsthisbird • • 1d ago

Europe An owl in my yard?

Thumbnail
gallery
233 Upvotes

I am in Finland, ostrobothnia to be less vague, the nordics to be more vague.

Spotted this small plump fella this morning, it's parked by where I feed birds (lighthouse and a hanging thing in the tree). Is it a Glaucidium passerinum or maybe a Aegolius funereus, is it an owl at all?


r/whatsthisbird • • 3h ago

Middle East Is this a Peregrine Falcon? Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia

Post image
5 Upvotes

r/whatsthisbird • • 2h ago

North America Maybe a funny looking caracara?

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

Unfortunately very blurry photos, taken in South Texas. It had yellow legs and I thought it was a caracara at first but it had a white head. I thought maybe it was a juvenile as we get a ton of crested caracaras but it seems even they have a dark head.


r/whatsthisbird • • 7h ago

North America Which Warbler?

Thumbnail
gallery
10 Upvotes

These were taken in Western TN. I’m leaning maybe Nashville Warbler? But unsure


r/whatsthisbird • • 18m ago

North America Hawk ID

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Bird on 14 August in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.

From some videos I still had to check. North American birds of prey are largely out of my knowledge.


r/whatsthisbird • • 9h ago

North America Rsha or rtha? Its confusing me

9 Upvotes

San Fran, CA


r/whatsthisbird • • 18h ago

North America Allen, TX - Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve

Thumbnail
gallery
56 Upvotes

Hi, I was wondering if it's possible to assist me in identifying these two bird. I apologize for the first one. Sun was just rising so the lighting wasn't great leading to not a great shot.

I encountered these two yesterday.


r/whatsthisbird • • 3h ago

North America Random ducks from 2018

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

These photos were taken near Tampa, FL around October 2018
Hi, I’m genuinely at a loss here. I was going through photos and couldn’t for the life of me tell what these were, they don’t look like Muscovies but nothing else around here looks remotely similar. Merlin and iNaturalist weren’t very helpful, and closest I got was a hybrid mallard via google search. Could that be what they are?
I know the photos aren’t the greatest, but I hope they suffice


r/whatsthisbird • • 11h ago

North America Merlin detected American Tree Sparrow, then this bird popped up. This was the only pic available, good enough to confirm?

Post image
8 Upvotes

Southwest Virginia


r/whatsthisbird • • 10h ago

North America What is this bird? Bird of prey w/ a fresh kill NSFW

Thumbnail gallery
9 Upvotes

Location is east bay, california. The bird was on the ground and then flew up in to a tree (and then off behind a fence). In a local, fairly large park. It had the small bird it was holding the whole time- I think a starling. It did not make any calls except chipping at me a bit when I got too close.

My best guess was an american goshawk but it didn't seem to have the pronounced white "eyebrow". Merlin suggest a european goshawk but that seems even less likely.

Thank you!


r/whatsthisbird • • 17h ago

South Asia Coastal Karnataka, India

Post image
24 Upvotes