What's New in Birds of the World

Welcome to Birds of the World, a powerful new resource that brings together scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology—Birds of North America and Neotropical Birds (originally published by the Cornell Lab) with Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive and Bird Families of the World (originally published by Lynx Edicions)—into one rich and colorful hub where you can find comprehensive, authoritative information on birds. With the integration of millions of bird observations from eBird and images from the Macaulay Library, Birds of the World is the most powerful ornithological resource ever created.

Things to look for:

• • • • • 10,906 SPECIES ACCOUNTS. The platform merges deep scientific content from Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive with Birds of North America and Neotropical Birds species accounts.
        • 249 BIRD FAMILY ACCOUNTS. Our new Bird Families of the World section provides overviews of all 249 bird families, including the taxonomic history and illustrations of every species. Close examination of these family overviews a great way to learn about avian biodiversity and learn the intricacies of field identification. Our experts have updated and expanded the content from its original appearance in print.
        • MAPS. All species accounts have a general range map sourced from either eBird or HBW Alive/BirdLife, and you can expect a growing number of science-based abundance maps and animated migration maps that will help you understand the distribution, abundance, and movements of birds at scales never before possible. Watching birds migrate at a continental scale is now possible thanks to eBird science products.
        • ILLUSTRATIONS/COLOR PLATES. Did we mention the illustrations?! BOW features an illustration of every species and almost every subspecies in the world. This 21,000-strong set is an incredible collection.
        • RICH MEDIA. A growing library of rich media assets from the Macaulay Library brings life history details into sharper focus. Look for photographs detailing plumages, geographic variation, and behavior; an expanding video gallery showcasing courtship, breeding, foraging, and other behaviors; and in-depth audio recordings of songs, calls, and non-vocal sounds. Assets formerly housed in the Internet Bird Collection are now available in the Macaulay Library.
        • SCIENTIFIC TOOLS. Besides its deep content, figures, and illustrations, Birds of the World is packed with inline scientific references. Revision histories are kept for each account, allowing you to reference the account in its original format for publication.
        • TAXONOMIC CONSISTENCY. Birds of the World is built on the Clements/eBird taxonomy system.  Click here for an explainer on taxonomy.
        • IUCN CONSERVATION STATUS: Each species account displays a badge showing its IUCN Red List conservation status. When available, a full conservation status discussion is provided.
        • ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES: Avian natural history notes that touch on a broad array of life history topics or provide research and analysis of vocal differences in birds that supported the original taxonomic decision-making of the BirdLife team.
        • COMMON NAMES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES:  Species common names are now available in more than 55 languages.
        • FREE LISTING TOOLS. eBird is a free listing tool – an optional service that provides reciprocal benefits to Birds of the World. But you don’t have to buy Birds of the World to use eBird. eBird is easy to use;  start here to learn more.
        • PERSONAL eBIRD BADGES. When you are logged into Birds of the World each species account will show a blue badge indicating whether or not you’ve seen, photographed, or taken audio recordings of the bird. This nifty feature blends your field experience with your online study guide.
        • FLEXIBLE SEARCH. Enter a full species name or its four-letter banding code into the search bar and voila! The species name appears. Click on Explore Taxonomy to find birds, as well as to explore family groupings and interrelationships between species.
        • ONGOING UPDATES. Birds of the World is a living resource that will expand and grow in both functionality and content. We are building a global team of leading experts in ornithology, so you can expect ongoing revisions and updates. Our North American species accounts will be the gold standard for future account updates.
        • FLEXIBLE SUBSCRIPTION PLANS. Our subscription plans allow you choose a term and price that’s right for you. Our individual plans include: Monthly; Annual; and 3-year Plans. We also offer institutional access to Academic Libraries, Public Libraries, Agencies, and Nonprofits.
        • SECURE, NO-HASSLE RECURRING SUBSCRIPTIONS.  When you purchase Birds of the World online with your credit card, your subscription is automatically renewed at the end of its subscription term. For convenience, you will be notified 5 days in advance of your next pending charge and you always have the option to cancel. For more details on how this works, please visit our Terms of Sale page.

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