About Birdfact
An independent guide to the world’s birds, cited by National Geographic, Nature and The Guardian, and checked by a named editor
What Birdfact is
Birdfact is a field guide to 638 of the world’s birds: how to recognise each one, how big it is, what it sounds like, where and when to see it, what it eats, how it nests and how it’s faring.
We also publish articles on how birds live and behave. There’s a bird identifier that names the bird in your photo and shows the marks that prove it, and 3D birds you can turn and see life-size. The Garden Letter is a monthly email about the birds near you. A free account keeps a list of the birds you see, on the web and in the app.
Birdfact is independent and free to read.
Who’s behind it
Birdfact is written by a team of writers and contributors in the UK, the US and Canada, and edited by its founder, Nathan Cope.
Nathan founded Birdfact and leads its writers and contributors in the UK, the US and Canada. He has watched and studied birds for more than ten years, and checks every article and species guide before it’s published.
More about NathanCited by
Our pages are cited by publications, universities, conservation organisations and government agencies. Each name below links to the page that cites us.
- AudubonAudubon magazine
- Rewilding BritainOsprey reintroduction
- Devon Wildlife TrustHabitats assessment
- Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, Michigan State UniversitySanctuary blog
- NatureNature news
- Stanford UniversityUnderstand Energy Learning Hub
- European Food Safety AuthorityScientific opinion, EFSA Journal
- New Zealand Ministry for Primary IndustriesGovernment report
- Frontiers in PsychologyResearch article
- National GeographicAnimals
- The GuardianCountry diary
- Smithsonian MagazineScience and nature
- The Washington PostUS news
- CNNCNN Style
- ForbesContributor column
- Live ScienceScience news
- Global NewsCanada
- Fox NewsUS news
- PeopleUS news
Our approach
Researched from the sources
We write from field guides, research papers and the leading bird references, including the BTO, the RSPB and Birds of the World, not from other websites. Rebuilt guides list their sources at the foot of the page.
Where and when, from open data
Bird lists and months for hundreds of countries, nations and counties, built from birdwatchers’ records in the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Every download is cited on our data sources page.
Birds in 3D, built to scale
Our 3D birds are built from reference photographs and set to each species’ published length, and every plumage is checked by eye before it appears.
An identifier that shows its working
Our bird identifier considers your location, the season and the visible field marks, and tells you how sure it is.
Checked before it’s published
Nathan Cope, our founder and editor, checks every article and species guide before it goes live, and keeps them up to date as taxonomy changes, ranges shift and conservation statuses are reassessed.
The numbers
- Species guides
- 638
- Articles
- 574
- Visits a year
- 1M+
- Websites that link to us
- 4,000+
Independent, and paid for by readers
Birdfact is paid for by adverts and by Birdfact Unlimited members. The Garden Letter tells you what to look for in your garden, once a month.
Press enquiries: get in touch or email support@birdfact.com
Who we are
Birdfact is a trading name of NC Digital Limited, registered in England and Wales, no. 16413452. Registered office: 5 Canon Court, Institute St, Bolton BL1 1PZ. Companies House record
Spotted a mistake, or want to talk to us? Contact us: a person reads every message.