Yale University Library Research Guides: Ornithology Resources at Yale Library: Ornithology Resources Online

Online Resources in Ornithology

Public Online Resources
Societies and Organizations

Animal Diversity Web: Aves
From the University of Michigan. Several color photos, signed accounts, classification, range, habitat, description, reproduction, lifespan, behavior, communication, food, predation, economic importance, conservation status, references.
Christmas Bird Count
Occurring December 14 – January 5 every year, the Christmas Bird Count is America's longest-running community science bird project. You can participate in the count and/or see the past 100 years of data.
Encyclopedia of Life
The Encyclopedia of Life compiles information about living organisms from expert-curated databases. It includes video, sound, images, graphics, and text. It also incorporates information from major archives. The linked Wikipedia page compiles together information from multiple sources about the history and use of the EoL.
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
All About Birds is a free resource for bird identification. It includes photographs, sounds, size, common name, Latin names, color, behavior, habitat, distribution map, sounds and voice recordings, size, and bird cams.
Birds of North and Middle America Checklist
From the American Ornithologists' Union. Official source on the taxonomy of birds of these regions (from the North Pole to the boundary of Panama and Colombia, including adjacent islands under included nations' jurisdictions).
Global Raptor Impact Network (GRIN)
Created from the African Raptor DataBank and the Peregrine Fund's Global Raptor Information Network to provide data about the world's raptor species. Raptor sightings database exceeds 200,000 entries from researchers, birdwatchers, and atlasing projects.
Classification of the Bird Species of South America
From the South American Classification Committee, founded in 1998. Became affiliated with the American Ornithological Society in August 2002 and left it in 2023 to join the International Ornithologists Union.
Louis Agassiz Fuertes Illustration Collection
A database of 2500 bird illustrations. Hosted by Cornell University.

Audubon
Mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their haabitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. Site includes Citizen Science projects.
American Birding Association
A recreational birding association. Includes travel programs, community weekends, and birding mentor programs.
BirdLife International
Bird-focused partnership for nature conservation dedicated to fighting habitat loss and preserving bird populations.
BIRDNET
A consortium of scientific ornithological societies that provide guidelines for the use of wild birds in research, importing bird products into the United States, and other resources. Go here if you are looking for information about how to conduct your research ethically and legally.
British Ornithologists' Union
Site includes British List, official list of wild birds' records in Great Britain, book reviews online from recent issues of IBIS, and lists of other books received.
International Ornithologists' Union
Information on the International Ornithological Congress. Includes last several International Ornithological Congress proceedings.
North American Bird Banding Program
Established in 1920, this program supports the full lifecycle of bird banding and the data created by the practice.
American Ornithological Society
Mission is to advance the scientific understanding of birds, to enrich ornithology as a profession, and to promote a rigorous scientific basis for the conservation of birds. Publishes The Auk, Ornithological Monographs, Series in Ornithology, Birds of North America, and Special Publications.

Taxonomy Resources

IOC World Bird List - From the International Ornithologists' Union. Includes species, subspecies, and recently extinct species.

Taxonomy in Flux Checklist 2.98

Avibase - the World Bird Database - From Denis Lepage. Over 12 million records on 10,000 species and 22,000 subscpecies of birds.

Check-list of North American Birds: the species of birds of North America from the Arctic through Panama, including the West Indies and Hawaiian Islands - 7th ed., 1998 From the American Ornithologists' Union Committee on Classification and Nomenclature (North & Middle America). location

Ornithology Resources at Yale Library: Ornithology Resources Online

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