Nosemo

A US birdwatching library

Know the birds you see.

Field-guide style entries, a step-by-step Bird Finder and plain-language guides for beginners and enthusiasts across the United States.

Start the Bird FinderBrowse 30 birds
Pair of Eastern Bluebirds on a bare branch
Photo: Sandysphotos2009

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How to Start BirdwatchingNew to birding?Bird Identification BasicsName what you seeHow to Observe Birds ResponsiblyWatch without disturbing

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Tell the Bird Finder the size, color, habitat, region, season, behavior and bill. Skip anything you do not know. It ranks the closest matches and shows what each one misses.

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Explore by habitat

Male American Goldfinch with a bright yellow body and black wings perched on a twigForests & woodlandsBald Eagle perched on a snag with snowy mountains behind itWetlands & water edgesBarn Swallow perched on a mound of mud, blue back and rusty throat visibleGrasslands & fieldsBelted Kingfisher with a shaggy crest perched on a branch with its bill openCoastlinesAmerican Robin with an orange breast perched on an evergreen branchCities & parksAnna’s Hummingbird hovering with wings spread, rose-pink throat visibleBackyards & feedersGreat Horned Owl facing the camera, yellow eyes and feather tufts visibleDeserts & arid scrub

Explore by region

Black-capped Chickadee on a branch showing its black cap and bib and white cheekNortheastBlue Jay clinging to a branch, blue crest and barred wings visibleSoutheastCanada Goose in flight against a blue sky showing its black neck and white chinstrapMidwestBrown Pelican flying low over blue waterSouthwestDowny Woodpecker clinging to a wooden post, black-and-white pattern with a red patch on the headPacific WestGreat Blue Heron standing in shallow water at a stream edgeAlaska & Hawaii

Presence varies. Bird presence and timing change with location, weather, habitat and migration. Treat this page as a starting point, then check recent local sightings (for example on eBird) before you go.

Featured birds

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

A crested, year-round songbird. The male is brilliant red with a black face; the female is warm tan with red accents.

  • Medium
  • Backyards
  • Forests

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

The only hummingbird that breeds across eastern North America, a tiny summer visitor that migrates to Mexico and Central America.

  • Tiny
  • Backyards
  • Forests

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

America’s national bird, a huge dark-brown raptor with a white head and tail that fishes along coasts, rivers and large lakes.

  • Very large
  • Wetlands
  • Coastlines

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

A big, heavy-bodied owl with feather tufts like horns and a deep, steady hoot. It lives in almost every kind of wooded or semi-open country.

  • Large
  • Forests
  • Deserts

Eastern Bluebird

Sialia sialis

A small thrush of open country: the male is bright blue above with a rusty throat and chest, and a white belly.

  • Small
  • Grasslands
  • Backyards

Sandhill Crane

Antigone canadensis

A tall gray crane with a red forehead, a bugling rattle, and migrations that fill Great Plains skies with hundreds of thousands of birds.

  • Very large
  • Wetlands
  • Grasslands

See all 30 birds

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How we keep this reliable

We write from published ornithology, say when something varies by place or season, and leave facts out when we cannot confirm them. Read the editorial policy and our sources and identification criteria. Our guides put birds first: how to observe birds responsibly.