About BirdSpot
BirdSpot is a free bird identification site. You can identify a bird from a photo, identify a bird by its song, browse detailed profiles of 500 North American and notable world species, and track migration on our live migration map. All of it is free, with no account and no app to install.
Who Runs BirdSpot
BirdSpot is built and run by Brandon Wheeler, a Midwest-based developer and backyard birder, as part of a small independent portfolio of hobby and outdoor sites. There is no content farm behind it and no outsourced writing team. When something on the site is wrong, the email lands with the person who can fix it, usually the same day.
How Our Species Profiles Are Written
Every one of our 500 curated species profiles is researched and edited individually, not mass-generated from a template. Each profile covers identification field marks, male and female differences, look-alike species with side-by-side comparisons, song and call descriptions, range and migration timing, feeding and nesting behavior, and how to attract the species to your yard where that applies.
Taxonomy and species data are anchored to eBird and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Where our profiles describe behavior, habitat, or identification detail, they are cross-checked against established ornithological references before publishing. If you spot an error, tell us via the contact page and we will correct it.
How the ID Tools Work
The photo identifier uses AI image recognition to match your photo against known species, and returns a best match with confidence level plus links to the full profile. The song identifier runs the open-source BirdNET model directly in your browser: your recording is analyzed on your device, which means it works in the field and your audio never has to leave your phone.
Neither tool is perfect. Blurry photos, distant recordings, and juvenile plumage will lower confidence, and we show the confidence score rather than pretending certainty. For a tricky ID, the look-alike comparisons in each species profile are there to help you make the final call yourself.
How We Test Gear
Our Field Notes section includes buyer guides for binoculars, feeders, bird baths, spotting scopes, and smart feeders. Here is how those recommendations work:
- We use this gear. Recommendations come from hands-on use in backyard and field settings. Products we personally own are marked "I own this one" directly in the guides, so you can tell first-hand experience from researched picks.
- Researched picks are labeled honestly. Where we have not owned a product ourselves, picks are based on specifications, long-term owner reviews, and comparison against gear we do own. We do not invent hands-on claims.
- No pay-for-placement. Manufacturers cannot buy a spot in our guides, and we do not accept sponsored rankings.
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in our gear guides are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That commission never decides what we recommend; several of our top picks earn us nothing at all. Affiliate income is what keeps the ID tools and species profiles free.
Contact
Corrections, questions, or a bird you cannot identify? Email hello@bird-spot.com or use the contact page.