@pondlog/mcp-ebird

@pondlog/mcp-ebird

A place-aware eBird MCP server. Gives any MCP-aware AI client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue, custom agents) 21 tools covering 100% of the eBird API v2: bird observations (recent, notable, historic), checklists, hotspots, taxonomy, and regions.

Part of pondlog, a toolkit for stitching together public nature APIs (iNaturalist, eBird, USGS, NPN, NOAA, SunCalc).

Setup

eBird requires a free API key:

• Sign up at eBird (free).
• Generate a key at ebird.org/api/keygen.
• Set EBIRD_API_KEY in your shell or pass it via your MCP client's env block (see below).

If EBIRD_API_KEY is missing at startup, the server prints a clear error and exits before binding stdio. Rate-limited internally (100 req/min) with exponential backoff on 429.

Install / run

The server is published to npm and runs via npx (no install step):

EBIRD_API_KEY=<your-key> npx -y @pondlog/mcp-ebird

It speaks MCP over stdio.

Configure

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pondlog-ebird": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pondlog/mcp-ebird"],
      "env": { "EBIRD_API_KEY": "<your-key>" }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The 21 tools will appear in the slash menu.

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pondlog-ebird": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pondlog/mcp-ebird"],
      "env": { "EBIRD_API_KEY": "<your-key>" }
    }
  }
}

MCP Inspector (debug)

EBIRD_API_KEY=<your-key> npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx -y @pondlog/mcp-ebird

Tools

All tools are read-only. Coordinates use WGS84 decimal degrees. Region codes are hierarchical: US (country), US-WA (state/subnational1), US-WA-009 (county/subnational2, Clallam County in this example).

Observations (7)

Tool	What it does
get_recent_observations	Most-recent sighting per species in a region (last back days).
get_recent_notable	Rare/unusual sightings in a region.
get_recent_of_species	Recent sightings of one species in a region.
get_nearby_recent	Most-recent sighting per species near coords.
get_nearby_notable	Rare/unusual sightings near coords.
get_nearby_of_species	Recent sightings of one species near coords.
get_historic_on_date	Observations in a region on a specific calendar date.

Product (3)

Tool	What it does
get_recent_checklists	Recently submitted birding checklists for a region.
get_top_100	Top 100 eBirders for a region on a date (by species or checklists).
get_checklist	Full detail on one checklist by submission ID.

Hotspots (3)

Tool	What it does
get_hotspots_in_region	All eBird hotspots in a region.
get_nearby_hotspots	Hotspots within radius of coordinates, ranked by species count.
get_hotspot_info	Detail (full hierarchical name, country/state/county) for one hotspot.

Taxonomy (5)

Tool	What it does
get_taxonomy	Full or filtered eBird taxonomy (sci/common name, code, family, taxon order).
get_taxonomic_forms	Subspecies and identifiable forms of a species.
get_taxa_locales	Available locale codes for common names (en, es, fr, ...).
get_taxonomy_versions	List of eBird taxonomy versions with the latest flagged.
get_taxonomic_groups	Taxonomic groups for browsing (eBird-style or Merlin-style).

Regions (3)

Tool	What it does
get_region_info	Display name and bounding box for a region code.
get_sub_regions	Immediate child regions of a parent (countries to states to counties).
get_adjacent_regions	Bordering regions (subnational2 only).

Region code glossary

• Country: 2-letter ISO codes: US, CA, MX, GB, AU...
• Subnational1 (state/province): <country>-<region>: US-WA, US-CA, CA-ON...
• Subnational2 (county/equivalent): <country>-<region>-<county>: US-WA-009 (Clallam, WA), US-CA-037 (Los Angeles, CA)...

Use get_sub_regions to discover codes when you only know names.

Example prompts

After configuring, try:

• What birds have been seen near Port Angeles, WA in the last week?
• Show me notable / rare sightings in Clallam County right now.
• Where are the best birding hotspots within 25 km of 48.118, -123.4307?
• What was seen at eBird checklist S987654321?
• Look up the eBird species code for "Pacific Wren".
• Find all subspecies of the Yellow-rumped Warbler.
• What counties border Clallam County (US-WA-009)?

License

MIT. See the root LICENSE.