How do I use eBird MCP Server?

1. Click on "Deploy Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@eBird MCP Server show me recent bird sightings in New York" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

eBird MCP Server

by mattjegan

Overview Schema Source Related Servers Discussions Admin

TypeScript

Remote

eBird MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides access to the eBird API 2.0.

Setup

1. Get an eBird API Key

Get your API key at: https://ebird.org/api/keygen

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Build

npm run build

4. Configure Claude Code

Add the server to your Claude Code configuration:

claude mcp add ebird -e EBIRD_API_KEY=your_api_key_here -- node /Users/youruser/ebird-mcp/dist/index.js

Or manually add to your Claude Code settings (.claude/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebird": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/Users/youruser/ebird-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EBIRD_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Related MCP server: eBird MCP Server

Available Tools

Observations

Tool	Description
`get_recent_observations`	Get recent bird observations in a region
`get_notable_observations`	Get recent notable/rare observations
`get_species_observations`	Get observations of a specific species
`get_nearby_observations`	Get observations near a lat/lng
`get_nearby_species_observations`	Get species observations near a location
`get_nearest_species_observations`	Find nearest locations with a species
`get_nearby_notable_observations`	Get notable observations near a location
`get_historic_observations`	Get observations from a specific date

Products

Tool	Description
`get_top_100`	Get top 100 contributors on a date
`get_recent_checklists`	Get recently submitted checklists
`get_checklists_on_date`	Get checklists from a specific date
`get_regional_statistics`	Get stats for a region on a date
`get_species_list`	Get all species recorded in a region
`get_checklist`	Get details of a specific checklist

Reference Data

Tool	Description
`get_adjacent_regions`	Get neighboring regions
`get_hotspots_in_region`	Get birding hotspots in a region
`get_nearby_hotspots`	Get hotspots near a location
`get_hotspot_info`	Get info about a specific hotspot
`get_taxonomy`	Get the eBird taxonomy
`get_taxonomic_forms`	Get subspecies for a species
`get_taxa_locales`	Get available language codes
`get_taxonomy_versions`	Get taxonomy versions
`get_taxonomic_groups`	Get species groups
`get_region_info`	Get info about a region
`get_sub_regions`	Get sub-regions within a region

Region Codes

Country: 2-letter code (e.g., US, CA, GB)
State/Province: Country-State (e.g., US-NY, CA-BC)
County: Country-State-County (e.g., US-NY-109)
Location: L-code (e.g., L99381)

Species Codes

Species use 6-letter codes (e.g., cangoo for Canada Goose, barswa for Barn Swallow). Use get_taxonomy to find codes.

Available Tools

25 tools

get_adjacent_regionsC

Get regions that share a border with the specified region.

Inputs: region_code (required).

get_checklistC

Get details of a specific checklist including all observations.

Inputs: sub_id (required).

get_checklists_on_dateC

Get checklists submitted on a specific date.

Inputs: region_code (required), year (required), month (required), day (required), +2 more.

get_historic_observationsC

Get observations from a specific date in history.

Inputs: region_code (required), year (required), month (required), day (required), +7 more.

get_hotspot_infoC

Get information about a specific hotspot.

Inputs: loc_id (required).

get_hotspots_in_regionC

Get birding hotspots in a region.

Inputs: region_code (required), back, fmt.

get_nearby_hotspotsC

Get birding hotspots near a location.

Inputs: lat (required), lng (required), back, dist, +1 more.

get_nearby_notable_observationsC

Get notable/rare observations near a location.

Inputs: lat (required), lng (required), back, detail, +4 more.

get_nearby_observationsC

Get recent observations near a geographic location.

Inputs: lat (required), lng (required), back, cat, +6 more.

get_nearby_species_observationsC

Get recent observations of a specific species near a location.

Inputs: lat (required), lng (required), species_code (required), back, +5 more.

get_nearest_species_observationsB

Find the nearest locations where a species has been seen recently.

Inputs: lat (required), lng (required), species_code (required), back, +5 more.

get_notable_observationsC

Get recent notable/rare bird observations in a region. Notable observations are for locally or nationally rare species.

Inputs: region_code (required), back, detail, hotspot, +2 more.

get_recent_checklistsC

Get the most recently submitted checklists for a region.

Inputs: region_code (required), max_results.

get_recent_observationsA

Get recent bird observations in a region (up to 30 days ago). Returns species, location, date, and count info.

Inputs: region_code (required), back, cat, hotspot, +3 more.

get_regional_statisticsC

Get statistics for a region on a specific date (checklist count, species count, contributor count).

Inputs: region_code (required), year (required), month (required), day (required).

get_region_infoC

Get information about a region including name, bounds, and parent hierarchy.

Inputs: region_code (required), region_name_format, delim.

get_species_listB

Get all species ever recorded in a region (species codes in taxonomic order).

Inputs: region_code (required).

get_species_observationsC

Get recent observations of a specific species in a region.

Inputs: region_code (required), species_code (required), back, hotspot, +3 more.

get_sub_regionsA

Get sub-regions within a parent region. Examples: get_sub_regions('country', 'world') for all countries, get_sub_regions('subnational1', 'US') for US states.

Inputs: region_type (required), parent_region_code (required), fmt.

get_taxa_localesB

Get available language codes for species names.

Inputs: no named parameters.

get_taxonomic_formsC

Get subspecies/forms for a species.

Inputs: species_code (required).

get_taxonomic_groupsB

Get species groups (e.g., 'Waterfowl', 'Raptors').

Inputs: species_grouping, group_name_locale.

get_taxonomyB

Get the eBird taxonomy (list of all species with codes, names, and classification).

Inputs: cat, fmt, locale, species, +1 more.

get_taxonomy_versionsB

Get all available taxonomy versions.

Inputs: no named parameters.

get_top_100C

Get the top 100 contributors on a given date.

Inputs: region_code (required), year (required), month (required), day (required), +2 more.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

Deploy Server

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

TDQS

B3.2/5.0

Scored 2026-04-18 07:20 across 25 tools

Disambiguation3/5

The tools have clear purposes but significant overlap exists, particularly among observation-related tools (e.g., get_nearby_observations, get_recent_observations, get_historic_observations, get_notable_observations) and region-related tools (e.g., get_adjacent_regions, get_sub_regions, get_region_info). Descriptions help differentiate them, but an agent might struggle to choose the most appropriate one in some scenarios.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tools follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with 'get_' as the prefix, making them predictable and easy to parse. There are no deviations in naming style, such as mixed cases or varying verb forms, which enhances readability and usability.

Tool Count3/5

With 25 tools, the count is on the higher side for a focused domain like eBird data access, bordering on heavy. While many tools serve distinct functions, the number may overwhelm agents and could indicate potential redundancy or over-specialization in the API surface.

Completeness5/5

The tool set provides comprehensive coverage for birding data, including observations, regions, hotspots, checklists, species, and taxonomy. It supports CRUD-like operations for querying and retrieving data across the domain, with no obvious gaps that would hinder agent workflows or cause dead ends.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive

ResponsivenessNo recent community issues

Resources

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eBird MCP Server

Setup

1. Get an eBird API Key

2. Install Dependencies

3. Build

4. Configure Claude Code

Available Tools

Observations

Products

Reference Data

Region Codes

Species Codes

Available Tools

Tool Schema Changelog

TDQS

Maintenance

Resources

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

eBird MCP Server

eBird MCP Server

usa-npn-mcp-server

Birding Buddy MCP