M
API Matrix

eBird API

Animals / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
Varies by plan (check documentation)
69 Score
Grade C
Visit Official Site Compare Alternatives

Overview

eBird API from Cornell Lab provides real birding observation data including species sightings, locations, and notable birds by region. Great for nature apps and data visualization projects.

💡

Beginner Tip

Get your free API key at ebird.org/api/keygen. Always include it as header X-eBirdApiToken, not as a query parameter.

Available Data

eBird data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Requires API key authentication

Example Response

JSON Response 
{
  "name": "eBird",
  "data": "eBird-specific information and attributes",
  "source": "eBird"
}

Field Reference

speciesCode eBird species code such as "norcar" for Northern Cardinal
comName Common English name of the bird species
sciName Scientific Latin name of the species
locName Name of the location where the bird was observed
obsDt Date and time of the observation in ISO format
howMany Number of individuals observed (may be null if not counted)

Implementation Example 

const url = "https://documenter.getpostman.com/view/664302/S1ENwy59";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
  "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

403 Forbidden Missing or incorrectly passed API key
✓ Set header X-eBirdApiToken: YOUR_KEY; the token must be in the header not the query string
Empty results array No observations reported in that region in the past 14 days
✓ Try a larger region code such as US-CA for California instead of a county code
Invalid region code error Using wrong region format such as "California" instead of "US-CA"
✓ Use eBird region codes: country (US), state (US-CA), or county (US-CA-037)

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 9/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS NO
Category Animals
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-04

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