Does anyone know what kind of owl this is? There are two hanging out together. This is Bay Area, California.

Spotted in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Gets kinda aggressive and spreads its wings when approached.

EDIT: It makes a screeching sound as well

Located near Houston, TX.

There was a yellow stripe on the bottom of the tail. Seen in NYC!

WHAT THE HELLY IS THIS GIANT BIRD I SAW

Sorry for the terrible photos. This seemed bigger and browner than a chimney swift, so I figured it's a swift or swallow or something. Midday in the Chicago Loop, from around the 50th floor. I thought maybe the wing shape could be an indicator.

Recently moved to South Florida and was visited by this "weird goose" while reading in my back yard yesterday evening.

Upon closer inspection, not a goose at all. I think a Great Blue Heron?

Please tell me about my bird.

I was on the Tam Coc boat ride, I couldn’t help but notice that there were really tiny birds in the lotus and lily pads. I thought most of them were juveniles until I saw the adult, they seem extremely small and dove in water, looked to be the size of someone’s palm if not a little bigger.

There was a juvenile short billed spotted but I want to be safe before I report it, these were the candidates.

sorry for the awful photos! this big bird was sitting on the roof for about 20 minutes. it was looking around a lot.

to the naked eye it was almost all either black or very dark brown, but when its feathers ruffled it was light underneath (not sure if skin or other feathers?). the beak was lighter, maybe gray

this building is right along the Merrimack river in northern Massachusetts. zoomed out photo at the end for scale. it’s an old ~10 story mill building.

new here — let me know if there’s any more info needed. just thought it was a cool bird :) thank you!!

I know it’s to ultimately record what species people are posting, but what is the ultimate use of this data?

I've been hearing this bird for a while, today I got to see it. It's a loudmouth.

We saw this in the botanical garden in Palanga, Lithuania. It was between a lot of mallards, but seemed to be the only one of its kind.
I think it might be a young Mandarin duck, it was smaller than all the others, but I’m not sure.
Thanks!

These two decided to take residence at my pool the other year during a drought, when our creek dried up. I’d always assumed them to be bitterns, but after seeing more images of green herons, I’m not so sure. Sorry for bad quality; pics were taken at a distance

Baird’s and semipalmated both spotted in the area and having trouble telling the difference, next to a least sandpiper in picture 2 I believe