Where are the best locations for find a Mandarin Duck in the Northern Hemisphere? Check BirdingPlaces for any species (photo by Raphael Haug). You can help to add to the number of birding hotspots in your region, including areas you have visited during birding trips (Grasshopper Sparrow photo by Jake McCumber).

A new online guide to birding sites, BirdingPlaces is a new resource for birders to learn about the best locations to go birding in a given area – worldwide. Already, fellow birders have described more than 9,000 locations to share their favorite birding areas in detail, and new birding sites are being added almost daily to the map of BirdingPlaces. This free online service has attracted a community of birders that has grown to more than a million users, and that number is growing fast. Discover birding areas all over the world, as described by enthusiastic birders like you.

BirdingPlaces is a non-profit platform and a free resource for birders to learn about birding sites, with the main objective of protecting birds and their habitats by connecting more people to birding, nation by nation. The idea is that the more that people enjoy birds and birding, the greater the support base for the protection of birds and their habitats.

At the same time, you are invited to describe favorite birding hotspots in your area, as the reach of BirdingPlaces expands and more people join this enthusiastic birding community. BirdingPlaces was initiated in Europe 5 years ago, but has expanded very quickly to other continents, especially during the past year. You can use BirdingPlaces to find new birding sites near you, check for birding sites when you plan travel, and add birding locations to the BirdingPlaces website for others to enjoy. The hope is that American and Canadian birders like you will help to share preferred birding sites, so others can visit them during prime periods of the year.

You can also search for the best locations to find a given species of bird, and it’s interesting to scroll through the representative photographs of birds from around the world. To learn more about BirdingPlaces and to become familiar with this exciting new birding resource, see Birdingplaces.com and join the fun!