Random Bird Generator

120 real bird species, all of them in the table below. Press the button for one at random — you get its family, where it lives, what it eats and how big it is compared with birds you already know.

Press the button for a bird.

no repeats until the list is used up

120 birds in this list.

All 120 birds on this list

Bird	Family	Where it lives	Diet	Size
Bald eagle	Bird of prey	North America	Fish and carrion	Very large
Golden eagle	Bird of prey	North America, Europe, Asia, North Africa	Mammals and birds	Very large
White-tailed eagle	Bird of prey	Europe and northern Asia	Fish and carrion	Very large
Harpy eagle	Bird of prey	Central and South American rainforest	Monkeys and sloths	Very large
Osprey	Bird of prey	Every continent except Antarctica	Fish	Large
Peregrine falcon	Bird of prey	Every continent except Antarctica	Birds taken in flight	Crow-sized
Kestrel	Bird of prey	Europe, Asia and Africa	Voles and insects	Pigeon-sized
Red kite	Bird of prey	Europe and North Africa	Carrion and small animals	Large
Common buzzard	Bird of prey	Europe and Asia	Small mammals and carrion	Large
Sparrowhawk	Bird of prey	Europe, Asia and North Africa	Small birds	Crow-sized
Griffon vulture	Bird of prey	Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia	Carrion	Very large
Andean condor	Bird of prey	The Andes	Carrion	Very large
Secretary bird	Bird of prey	Grassland of Sub-Saharan Africa	Snakes and lizards	Taller than a toddler
Barn owl	Owl	Every continent except Antarctica	Voles and mice	Crow-sized
Tawny owl	Owl	Europe and western Asia	Rodents and small birds	Crow-sized
Snowy owl	Owl	Arctic tundra	Lemmings and hares	Large
Great horned owl	Owl	The Americas	Mammals and birds	Large
Little owl	Owl	Europe, North Africa and Asia	Insects and worms	Pigeon-sized
Burrowing owl	Owl	The Americas, in open ground	Insects and rodents	Pigeon-sized
Emperor penguin	Penguin	Antarctica	Fish and squid	Waist-high
King penguin	Penguin	Sub-Antarctic islands	Fish and squid	Knee-high
Gentoo penguin	Penguin	The Antarctic Peninsula and islands	Krill and fish	Knee-high
Little blue penguin	Penguin	Southern Australia and New Zealand	Small fish	Crow-sized
Ostrich	Flightless	Sub-Saharan Africa	Plants and insects	Taller than a person
Emu	Flightless	Australia	Plants, seeds and insects	Taller than a child
Southern cassowary	Flightless	New Guinea and northern Australia	Fallen fruit	Taller than a child
Kiwi	Flightless	New Zealand	Worms and insects	Chicken-sized
Greater rhea	Flightless	Southern South America	Plants and insects	Taller than a child
Greater flamingo	Wading bird	Africa, southern Europe, South Asia	Algae and brine shrimp	Very large
Grey heron	Wading bird	Europe, Asia and Africa	Fish, frogs and voles	Very large
Great blue heron	Wading bird	North and Central America	Fish and amphibians	Very large
Great egret	Wading bird	Warm regions worldwide	Fish and insects	Large
White stork	Wading bird	Europe, North Africa and western Asia	Frogs, insects and rodents	Very large
Sandhill crane	Wading bird	North America and northeast Asia	Grain, roots and insects	Very large
Sarus crane	Wading bird	South Asia and Australia	Roots, insects and small animals	Taller than a child
Eurasian spoonbill	Wading bird	Europe, Asia and Africa	Small fish and invertebrates	Large
Scarlet ibis	Wading bird	Northern South America	Crustaceans and insects	Large
Eurasian curlew	Wading bird	Europe and Asia	Worms and shellfish	Large
Northern lapwing	Wading bird	Europe and Asia	Insects and worms	Pigeon-sized
Oystercatcher	Wading bird	Coasts worldwide	Shellfish and worms	Pigeon-sized
Avocet	Wading bird	Europe, Asia and Africa	Small invertebrates	Pigeon-sized
Mute swan	Waterfowl	Europe and Asia, introduced elsewhere	Water plants	Very large
Canada goose	Waterfowl	North America, introduced to Europe	Grass and grain	Very large
Greylag goose	Waterfowl	Europe and Asia	Grass and grain	Very large
Mallard	Waterfowl	The northern hemisphere	Plants, seeds and invertebrates	Goose-sized
Mandarin duck	Waterfowl	East Asia, introduced to Britain	Seeds, acorns and insects	Crow-sized
Eider	Waterfowl	Northern coasts	Mussels	Goose-sized
Great crested grebe	Waterfowl	Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia	Fish	Goose-sized
Common loon	Waterfowl	North America and Iceland	Fish	Goose-sized
Wandering albatross	Seabird	The Southern Ocean	Squid and fish	Very large
Northern gannet	Seabird	The North Atlantic	Fish, taken by diving	Goose-sized
Atlantic puffin	Seabird	North Atlantic coasts	Sand eels and other small fish	Pigeon-sized
Herring gull	Seabird	The northern hemisphere	Almost anything	Large
Black-headed gull	Seabird	Europe and Asia	Insects, fish and scraps	Pigeon-sized
Arctic tern	Seabird	Pole to pole, migrating between them	Small fish	Pigeon-sized
Great cormorant	Seabird	Coasts and lakes worldwide	Fish	Goose-sized
Brown pelican	Seabird	Coasts of the Americas	Fish, taken by diving	Very large
Great frigatebird	Seabird	Tropical oceans	Fish, often stolen in flight	Large
Common pheasant	Gamebird	Native to Asia, introduced worldwide	Seeds, shoots and insects	Large
Red grouse	Gamebird	Britain and Ireland	Heather shoots	Chicken-sized
Wild turkey	Gamebird	North America	Acorns, seeds and insects	Very large
Indian peafowl	Gamebird	The Indian subcontinent	Seeds, insects and small reptiles	Very large
Grey partridge	Gamebird	Europe and western Asia	Seeds and shoots	Pigeon-sized
Red junglefowl	Gamebird	South and Southeast Asia	Seeds, fruit and insects	Chicken-sized
Scarlet macaw	Parrot	Central and South America	Fruit, nuts and seeds	Large
Hyacinth macaw	Parrot	Central South America	Palm nuts	Large
African grey parrot	Parrot	Central and West African forest	Fruit, seeds and nuts	Pigeon-sized
Sulphur-crested cockatoo	Parrot	Australia and New Guinea	Seeds, roots and nuts	Crow-sized
Budgerigar	Parrot	Inland Australia	Grass seed	Sparrow-sized
Rainbow lorikeet	Parrot	Eastern Australia	Nectar and pollen	Pigeon-sized
Kea	Parrot	The mountains of New Zealand's South Island	Roots, insects and carrion	Crow-sized
Rose-ringed parakeet	Parrot	Africa and South Asia, feral in Europe	Fruit, seeds and grain	Pigeon-sized
Toco toucan	Toucan	Central and eastern South America	Fruit, insects and eggs	Crow-sized
Great hornbill	Hornbill	South and Southeast Asian forest	Fruit and small animals	Very large
Common kingfisher	Kingfisher	Europe, Asia and North Africa	Small fish	Sparrow-sized
Laughing kookaburra	Kingfisher	Eastern Australia	Reptiles, insects and rodents	Crow-sized
Ruby-throated hummingbird	Hummingbird	Eastern North America	Nectar and small insects	Thumb-sized
Bee hummingbird	Hummingbird	Cuba	Nectar	Smaller than a thumb
Common swift	Swift	Europe and Asia, wintering in Africa	Insects taken in flight	Sparrow-sized
Barn swallow	Swallow	Every continent except Antarctica	Insects taken in flight	Sparrow-sized
House martin	Swallow	Europe and Asia, wintering in Africa	Flying insects	Sparrow-sized
Great spotted woodpecker	Woodpecker	Europe and northern Asia	Insects and larvae in wood	Pigeon-sized
Green woodpecker	Woodpecker	Europe and western Asia	Ants	Pigeon-sized
Pileated woodpecker	Woodpecker	North America	Carpenter ants and beetle larvae	Crow-sized
Northern flicker	Woodpecker	North America	Ants and beetles	Pigeon-sized
Common cuckoo	Cuckoo	Europe and Asia, wintering in Africa	Caterpillars	Pigeon-sized
Greater roadrunner	Cuckoo	The southwestern USA and Mexico	Lizards, snakes and insects	Crow-sized
Wood pigeon	Pigeon	Europe and western Asia	Seeds, buds and crops	Pigeon-sized
Rock dove	Pigeon	Native to Eurasia, now every city	Seeds and scraps	Pigeon-sized
Mourning dove	Pigeon	North and Central America	Seeds	Pigeon-sized
Common raven	Corvid	The whole northern hemisphere	Almost anything	Large
Carrion crow	Corvid	Western Europe and eastern Asia	Almost anything	Crow-sized
Rook	Corvid	Europe and Asia	Worms, grain and insects	Crow-sized
Jackdaw	Corvid	Europe, North Africa and western Asia	Insects, seeds and scraps	Pigeon-sized
Eurasian magpie	Corvid	Europe and Asia	Almost anything	Crow-sized
Eurasian jay	Corvid	Europe, North Africa and Asia	Acorns and insects	Pigeon-sized
Blue jay	Corvid	Eastern North America	Acorns, insects and eggs	Pigeon-sized
Clark's nutcracker	Corvid	Western North American mountains	Pine seeds	Pigeon-sized
European robin	Songbird	Europe and western Asia	Insects and worms	Sparrow-sized
American robin	Songbird	North America	Worms and berries	Pigeon-sized
Blackbird	Songbird	Europe, Asia and North Africa	Worms, insects and berries	Pigeon-sized
Song thrush	Songbird	Europe and western Asia	Snails, worms and berries	Sparrow-sized
Nightingale	Songbird	Europe, wintering in Africa	Insects and worms	Sparrow-sized
House sparrow	Songbird	Native to Eurasia, now nearly worldwide	Seeds and scraps	Sparrow-sized
Common starling	Songbird	Native to Eurasia, introduced worldwide	Insects, seeds and fruit	Sparrow-sized
Blue tit	Songbird	Europe and western Asia	Insects and seeds	Smaller than a sparrow
Great tit	Songbird	Europe, Asia and North Africa	Insects and seeds	Sparrow-sized
Black-capped chickadee	Songbird	North America	Insects and seeds	Smaller than a sparrow
Goldfinch	Songbird	Europe, North Africa and western Asia	Thistle and teasel seed	Sparrow-sized
Chaffinch	Songbird	Europe, North Africa and western Asia	Seeds and insects	Sparrow-sized
Northern cardinal	Songbird	Eastern and central North America	Seeds, fruit and insects	Sparrow-sized
Bullfinch	Songbird	Europe and Asia	Buds and seeds	Sparrow-sized
Skylark	Songbird	Europe, Asia and North Africa	Seeds and insects	Sparrow-sized
Wren	Songbird	Europe, Asia and North Africa	Insects and spiders	Smaller than a sparrow
Goldcrest	Songbird	Europe and Asia	Tiny insects	Smaller than a sparrow
Pied wagtail	Songbird	Europe	Insects	Sparrow-sized
Red-winged blackbird	Songbird	North America	Insects and seeds	Sparrow-sized
Baltimore oriole	Songbird	Eastern North America	Insects, fruit and nectar	Sparrow-sized
Superb lyrebird	Songbird	Southeastern Australia	Insects and worms in leaf litter	Chicken-sized
Bowerbird (satin)	Songbird	Eastern Australia	Fruit and insects	Pigeon-sized

Ranges are breeding and resident ranges, with introduced populations noted where they are established. Several species on this list migrate thousands of miles and spend half the year somewhere the range column does not mention.

How this list was built

Size is given by comparison, not in centimetres. A number like “32 cm” tells most people nothing, and for a bird it is ambiguous anyway — bill-tip to tail-tip, or standing height? Saying a peregrine is crow-sized and a bee hummingbird is smaller than a thumb is both honest and immediately useful. It also cannot go stale.

The list is weighted the way the world is, not the way bird books are. Songbirds are more than half of all bird species, so there are a lot of them here. But the eagles, owls, penguins and flightless birds are what people come looking for, so they are well represented too.

Both robins are on the list, because they are different birds. The European robin is a small chat; the American robin is a thrush the size of a pigeon. They share a name because homesick settlers used the old one for a new bird, and half the confusion about garden birds starts there.

No conservation status column. Statuses are reassessed regularly and a static page that lists them goes quietly out of date. Where a bird's situation is part of what it is, the range column says so in plain words.

Sources. Species names, families, ranges and diets follow standard ornithological reference. Sizes are deliberately comparative rather than measured, for the reason given above.

Common questions

How many birds does this pick from?

120 species, from hummingbirds to ostriches, covering birds of prey, owls, penguins, waders, waterfowl, seabirds, parrots, woodpeckers, corvids and songbirds. All of them are listed on this page.

Is this a list of birds from one country?

No, it is worldwide, with a lean toward the birds people in Europe, North America and Australia are likely to have heard of or seen. That is a choice, and it is why the list is shown in full rather than hidden behind the button.

Can I use it to pick a bird to draw or write about?

Yes. Each pick gives you the family, range, diet and size, which is enough to start from without a second search.

Why do two different birds have the same name?

Common names were given locally and often reused for unrelated birds elsewhere. The European robin and the American robin are the clearest case: not related, not the same size, same name.

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