eBird MCP server for AI agents

The eBird MCP server allows AI assistants to access bird observation data, hotspots, and taxonomy information from eBird's database. It provides a convenient way to query recent bird sightings, explore hotspots, and access bird taxonomy details using the Model Context Protocol.

Installation Requirements

Node.js (v14 or later)
An eBird API key from eBird API Key Request

Installation Options

Quick Setup for Claude Desktop

Install the package globally:

npm install -g ebird-mcp-server

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file (located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ebird-api": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "ebird-mcp-server",
        "--api-key",
        "YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY with your actual eBird API key
Create the config file if it doesn't exist
Restart Claude Desktop after saving the changes

Manual Installation

Clone the repository or download the files
Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the server:

node index.js --api-key YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY

Using Debug Mode

To see detailed logging while using the server:

node index.js --api-key YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY --debug

Available Tools and Usage

Get Recent Bird Observations

Retrieve recent bird observations in a specified region.

ebird_get_recent_observations

Parameters:

regionCode (required): Region code (e.g., US, US-NY, L123456)
back: Number of days back to search (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)
hotspot: Only include observations from hotspots (default: false)
detail: Detail level ('simple' or 'full', default: 'simple')

Get Species-Specific Observations

Retrieve recent observations of a specific bird species in a region.

ebird_get_recent_observations_for_species

Parameters:

regionCode (required): Region code (e.g., US, US-NY, L123456)
speciesCode (required): eBird species code (e.g., amecro for American Crow)
back: Number of days back to search (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)
hotspot: Only include observations from hotspots (default: false)

Get Notable Observations

Retrieve notable bird observations in a specified region.

ebird_get_notable_observations

Parameters:

regionCode (required): Region code (e.g., US, US-NY, L123456)
back: Number of days back to search (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
detail: Detail level ('simple' or 'full', default: 'simple')

Get Nearby Observations

Retrieve bird observations near a specific location.

ebird_get_nearby_observations

Parameters:

lat (required): Latitude coordinate
lng (required): Longitude coordinate
dist: Distance in kilometers from coordinates (default: 25)
back: Number of days back to search (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)
hotspot: Only include observations from hotspots (default: false)
detail: Detail level ('simple' or 'full', default: 'simple')

Get Nearby Notable Observations

Retrieve notable bird observations near a specific location.

ebird_get_nearby_notable_observations

Parameters:

lat (required): Latitude coordinate
lng (required): Longitude coordinate
dist: Distance in kilometers from coordinates (default: 25)
back: Number of days back to search (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
detail: Detail level ('simple' or 'full', default: 'simple')

Get Nearby Species-Specific Observations

Retrieve observations of a specific bird species near a location.

ebird_get_nearby_observations_for_species

Parameters:

lat (required): Latitude coordinate
lng (required): Longitude coordinate
speciesCode (required): eBird species code (e.g., amecro for American Crow)
dist: Distance in kilometers from coordinates (default: 25)
back: Number of days back to search (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)

Get Regional Hotspots

Retrieve birding hotspots in a specified region.

ebird_get_hotspots

Parameters:

regionCode (required): Region code (e.g., US, US-NY)
back: Number of days back to look for hotspot activity (default: 14)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)

Get Nearby Hotspots

Retrieve birding hotspots near a specific location.

ebird_get_nearby_hotspots

Parameters:

lat (required): Latitude coordinate
lng (required): Longitude coordinate
dist: Distance in kilometers from coordinates (default: 25)
back: Number of days back to look for hotspot activity (default: 14)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)

Get Taxonomy Information

Retrieve eBird taxonomy information.

ebird_get_taxonomy

Parameters:

locale: Language for common names (default: 'en')
cat: Taxonomic category filter (default: 'species')
fmt: Response format (default: 'json')

Get Taxonomy Forms for a Species

Retrieve eBird taxonomy forms for a specific species.

ebird_get_taxonomy_forms

Parameters:

speciesCode (required): eBird species code

Testing the Server

To test if your eBird MCP server is working correctly:

export EBIRD_API_KEY=your_api_key
node test-ebird.js

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "ebird-api" '{"command":"npx","args":["ebird-mcp-server","--api-key","YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ebird-api": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "ebird-mcp-server",
                "--api-key",
                "YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ebird-api": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "ebird-mcp-server",
                "--api-key",
                "YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect