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4 min read 5 stepsApril 20, 2026Verified April 2026

All About Birds: The Cornell Lab's Free Field Guide to Identify Birds

All About Birds from Cornell Lab is a free, expert-written guide to over 800 North American bird species with photos, sounds, and habitat maps.

At a Glance

Visit allaboutbirds.org or download the app

~29s

You can access All About Birds at allaboutbirds.org in any web browser. It works well on phones, tablets, and computers. The Cornell Lab also has the Merlin Bird ID app (covered in a separate guide) that connects with the same species database. For desktop research and deep dives into a species, the website is the most complete experience.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Bookmark allaboutbirds.org on your phone's home screen for quick access. Open your browser, go to the site, tap the Share button, and choose "Add to Home Screen."

Search for a bird by name or look it up by description

~26s

If you know the bird's name, type it in the search bar at the top of the page. If you do not know the name, click "Species" in the top menu and use the filters to narrow by size, color, habitat, or region. For example, you can filter for "small birds" with "red coloring" in "backyard/garden" habitats to find a match. Photo galleries help you confirm which species you are looking at.

Read the species account

~33s

Each bird's page has tabs for ID, Life History, Maps, and Sounds. The ID tab shows photos of males, females, and juveniles in different seasons — birds often look very different depending on age and time of year. The Life History tab explains nesting habits, diet, migration patterns, and population status. This is a good place to learn why a bird behaves the way it does.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Use the "Sounds" tab to hear the bird's songs and calls. Recognizing birds by sound is one of the most rewarding skills in birding, and All About Birds has high-quality recordings for almost every species.

Use range maps to see where and when a bird appears

~25s

The Maps tab shows you where a species lives year-round, where it only appears in summer (breeding season), and where it only shows up in winter. This is valuable for two reasons: it helps confirm whether a bird you spotted could actually be in your area. And it tells you the best times of year to look for species on your wish list. Migration corridors and seasonal changes are clearly marked.

Explore the photo galleries and learn to distinguish similar species

~23s

One challenge for new birders is that many species look very similar. All About Birds has "Similar Species" sections that walk you through the key differences between look-alikes. For example, the guide clearly explains how to tell a Downy Woodpecker from a Hairy Woodpecker — two birds that confuse beginners regularly. Use these comparisons whenever you are unsure which of two candidates you spotted.

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All About Birds is the free online and app-based field guide produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, one of the most respected bird research institutions in the world. The guide covers more than 800 species found in North America and gives you photos, sound recordings, range maps, and life history information — all written by ornithologists (scientists who study birds) and kept up to date with the latest research.

You do not need to be an experienced birder to use All About Birds. The site and app are designed for curious beginners just as much as seasoned observers. If you spotted something at your feeder and want to know what it is, you can browse by color, size, shape, or behavior using the identification tools. If you already know the name, you can search directly and pull up everything about that species.

The website at allaboutbirds.org is completely free. There is no paid tier, no subscription, and no ads that get in the way of the information. The Cornell Lab earns support through donations and partnerships with eBird, which is their companion bird-reporting platform (covered in a separate guide).

All About Birds works well on any smartphone browser and is also integrated with the Merlin Bird ID app, which is the companion app for on-the-spot identification. If you are outdoors trying to name a bird you just saw, Merlin is the better tool — All About Birds is best for learning in depth about species you have already identified or want to understand better.

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