Bird Codes vs ABA/AOU Bird Codes

Are you looking for a way to speed up your field notes so you can focus on actually looking at birds? Do you see birders using codes for birds on listservs and want to look them up? Do you want to enter your eBird checklists faster? Alpha codes are four letter abbreviations assigned to bird species as a quick way to refer to them. These codes are commonly used in field notes to quickly record sightings and other situations where writing down the entire species name is impractical. This app allows you to search and learn the alpha codes created using the Pyle and DeSante (2003) system which defines alpha codes for all 2078 species recorded in the AOU (American Ornithologists’ Union) area. You can quickly search by either the birds name or by the alpha code.

In the world of ornithology and bird watching, alpha codes are a shorthand for describing a specific bird. These codes are an abbreviation of a bird’s common(4 letters) or scientific(6 letters) name and are used in banding data, field notes, and other data collection projects. Schechter Natural History’s Bird Codes is a simple tool to look up bird reporting codes for the ABA and AOU.* Features include * Quick search and bird lookup * Sort by common name, scientific name, or code * Toggle between viewing a list of birds included in the AOU or the ABA * USGS Species Numbers and Banding Sizes We hope you find the Schechter Natural History’s Bird Codes to be a helpful tool for your outdoor adventures and a fun and informative reference for home use. *The American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) includes birds recorded in North America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean region. Whereas the American Birding Association (ABA) only contains birds in North America.