Habitat Loss
Deforestation, wetland drainage and farmland expansion remove feeding and breeding grounds — the biggest threat to birds worldwide.
AVIAN RESEARCH • WILDLIFE • CONSERVATIONExplore the
Explore the
World of Birds
Detailed profiles, real photographs and live data for the planet’s ~11,000 bird species — their habitats, behaviour, evolution and role in our ecosystems.
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0Detailed profiles
0Field photographs
0Bird families
0Orders of living birds
SPECIES DATABASE
View all birds →Featured Birds
WORLD BIRD ATLASOpen the World Atlas
Every bird on Earth, one search away.
Beyond our curated profiles, the World Atlas searches the global record of roughly 11,000 living bird species in real time — with photographs, conservation status, description, distribution and behaviour for each one.
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Search by any name
Common names, scientific names or groups like “sunbird” and “owl”.
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Discover a random species
Meet birds you’ve never heard of from every continent.
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Real photographs
Galleries loaded live from Wikimedia Commons.
BIRDS BY REGION
All continents →Explore by Continent
EXPLORE BY ENVIRONMENT
Where Birds Belong
From Himalayan forests to the open ocean, habitat shapes every aspect of a bird’s life.
TAXONOMY
All families →Explore Bird Families
FIELD GUIDE • PAKISTAN
Birds of Pakistan
Pakistan lies on the Indus Flyway, one of the world’s great migration routes, and spans K2’s glaciers, the Indus wetlands, Thar and Cholistan deserts and the Arabian Sea coast. More than 660 bird species have been recorded in the country.
Species in our guide
660+Recorded nationally
19Ramsar wetlands
PunjabSindhKhyber PakhtunkhwaBalochistanGilgit-BaltistanAzad Kashmir
Explore Pakistan BirdsSEASONAL MOVEMENT
Migration is a survival strategy.
Every year billions of birds travel between breeding and wintering grounds, guided by the Sun, stars, Earth’s magnetic field and landmarks.
70k
Arctic tern
Up to 70,000 km a year, pole to pole.
11d
Bar-tailed godwit
13,560 km non-stop, Alaska to Tasmania.
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Bar-headed goose
Crosses the Himalayas at extreme altitude.
SiberiaCentral AsiaPakistanIndian Subcontinent
Understand MigrationON THE BRINK
All threatened species →Critically Endangered Birds
According to BirdLife International, about one in eight bird species is threatened with extinction. These species face an extremely high risk in the wild.
HOW BIRDS WORKExplore Anatomy
Built for flight.
Hollow bones, a one-way breathing system, feathers of keratin and eyes that see ultraviolet light — birds are among the most finely engineered animals on Earth.
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Pneumatic skeleton
Air-filled bones keep weight low while staying strong.
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Air-sac lungs
Fresh air flows through the lungs on both breaths in and out.
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Feathers
Unique to birds — for flight, insulation, display and waterproofing.
PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY
Conservation starts with understanding.
Climate Change
Shifting temperatures and rainfall alter migration timing, food availability and the ranges where species can survive.
Human-Caused Mortality
Illegal hunting and trapping, poisoning, power-line collisions and glass buildings kill billions of birds every year.
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
Research hub →Learn & Explore
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Birdwatching Guide
Gear, field marks, ethics and the best birding hotspots in Pakistan — including Taunsa Barrage.
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Bird Quiz
Identify birds from real photos and field clues. Ten questions — can you score a perfect ten?
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Compare Species
Put any two birds side by side: size, wingspan, diet, range and conservation status.
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Bird Glossary
From “altricial” to “zygodactyl” — the language of ornithology explained.
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Avian Ecology
How birds interact with habitats, food webs and other species.
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Bird Communication
Calls, songs and visual signals birds use to exchange information.
QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bird species are there in the world?
Major world checklists such as the IOC World Bird List recognise roughly 11,000 living species, grouped into about 250 families and 40–45 orders. The number changes as research splits or merges species.
Where do the photographs come from?
Every species has its own set of real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, contributed by photographers worldwide under open licences. Click any gallery image to see its source page and licence.
What is the national bird of Pakistan?
The Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) is Pakistan’s national bird. It lives on rocky mountain slopes and dry hills across the north and west of the country.
What does “Critically Endangered” mean?
It is the highest-risk category on the IUCN Red List for species still surviving in the wild, meaning an extremely high risk of extinction. See our Endangered Birds page for the full scale.
Can I find a bird that is not in the Aviora database?
Yes — use the World Bird Atlas. It searches all of the world’s bird species live and shows photos, status and a full description.
How can I start birdwatching?
All you need is curiosity, a notebook and ideally a pair of 8×42 binoculars. Our Birdwatching Guide covers equipment, identification and ethical birding.
BUILD YOUR FIELD GUIDE
Find a species. Follow a question. Learn something real.
Search the database, save your favourite species, compare birds side by side and test yourself with the quiz.