Find Codes- Find Codes
These are the type codes for the search box on the iBird browse page.
- How to find birds by common name, scientific genus or species name or band code.
English Names nnnnnn English common name fragment Latin Names (PRO only) /ggggg Genus name fragment /sssss Species name fragment /ggg sss Genus + species fragments Band codes (PRO only) &FFLL Band Code (FF=2 char first name, LL=2 char second name)
- Definitions (PRO only)
To search by band code type a ampersand character "&" followed by the four character band code, using the rules below.
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Single Word Bird Name If a bird name is a single word the band code is the first four letters of the word:
Anhinga = ANHIMerlin = MERL
Two Word Bird Name If a bird name is comprised of two words the band code is the first two letters of the first word followed by the first two letters of the second word:
Aberts's Towhee = ABTO
California Gull = CAGU
Three Word Bird Name If the bird name is three words which are not hyphenated, use the first letter of the first word, the first letter of the second word, and the first two letters of the third word:
American Black Duck = ABDU
Cape May Warbler = CMWA
Three Word Bird Name - Two Hyphenated If the bird name is three words and the first two words are a hyphenated pair use the first letters of the hyphenated pair and the two letters of the uncompensated word:
Band-tailed Pigeon = BTPI
If the second two words are hyphenated use the two letters of the first word and the first two letters of the second hyphenated pair:
Eastern Screech-Owl = EASO
This is a tricky rule as you need to know the hyphenation logic, which is described next.
Hyphenation Logic If there is an adjective used in describing a bird, such as Yellow, Black, Long, Red, Dark, Curved and so on, the adjective will normally be followed by a hyphen. So you have Rough-legged, Yellow-bellied, Dark-eyed, etc. The hyphenated word is not always an adjective, such as Bay, Double or Fork. The second logic is for birds that have a hyphenated common genus name such as Night-Heron, Screech-Owl, etc. There are also cases where several birds will result in a collision. For example all three of these birds would be CAWR using normal logic: Canyon Wren, Cactus Wren and Carolina Wren. In these cases the banding code standard uses a special rule for each: Canyon Wren - CANW, Cactus Wren - CACW, Carolina Wren- CARW. Confusing? As useful as the banding code can be, the special exceptions it needs can make it confusing. There is a newer banding code that uses five characters but it is not as well known and takes more effort to remember the rules for it.