Special Member Access

Birds of the World has special access arrangements with the following member groups:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Chairman’s Council members as well as Partner and Leader levels of the Golden-winged Society are provided gratis access to Birds of the World; just follow this special link to sign in. Please contact us [gws@cornell.edu] if you’re interested in advancing the work of the Lab.

• Golden-wing Society: Partner – $2,500+
• Golden-wing Society: Leader – $5,000+
• Chairman’s Council – $10,000

To honor our long association with the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and as a way to thank the greater ornithological community who writes, revises, and contributes to these scientific accounts, current, paid members of AOS receive free access to Birds of the World.  Click here to access Birds of the World through the AOS Member Portal. Upon logging in, navigate to the Birds of the World site using the link in the middle of the page.

Birds of the World Digital Access Scholarships

To ensure that no person is denied access to this invaluable resource, we provide a limited number of scholarships to qualifying users who cannot afford a subscription plan. Learn more here.

Subscribing Public Libraries, Bird Clubs, Agencies, etc.

We also have a special access method for the patrons and staff of certain nonprofits, agencies, and public libraries that pay our annual institutional fee. That link can be found here:

Special Member Access link

Licensed, Nonprofit Wildlife Rescues

Thanks to funding from a generous donor, all licensed nonprofit wildlife rescue organizations focused on bird rescue are entitled to free access to Birds of the World. There are a few ways to obtain this access: Members of the National Wildlife Rescue Association (NWRA) and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) access it through their respective websites. Users of Wildlife Rescue Medical Database (WRMD) can access it via the respective species profiles in WRMD. Thirdly, nonprofit organizations may apply via the Scholarship Request form.

Publishing Partners

Birds of the World relies on an active network of global ornithologists and their member organizations to grow and update the authoritative content. Both authors and partner organizations (and their regional constituents) are entitled to access Birds of the World for free. Access types vary, but typically, this is handled via the partners’ websites. Many people in countries such as Argentina, Chile, southern Africa, Brazil, India, and Venezuela qualify for free access.  Click here to see if your local organization is a partner. Please support your regional ornithology organizations working to conserve local bird populations!

Academic Institutions

Nearly 400 schools and academic institutions worldwide subscribe to Birds of the World, and thus provide free access to their library patrons. Ask your librarians if they subscribe. Access is from your library database directory.