Questions and answers

Open Make your Birdfolio and add your list. You see your species count and the first pages of your book, free. Choose a layout, add a dedication if you like, then pay on Stripe's secure page. We print your book and ship it to your door.

Your eBird download, called MyEBirdData.csv. In eBird, use Download My Data; eBird emails you a link to a .zip file with the CSV inside (our step-by-step guide shows where to click). You can drop either the .zip or the .csv. On iNaturalist? Export your observations (inaturalist.org/observations/export) and drop that file; if you use both, add both and we make one list. Or paste a list instead: one bird per line, with a date and place if you have them.

Yes. Type it up with one bird per line, and a date and place if you have them, then paste it on Make your Birdfolio, or save it as a spreadsheet and drop the file. Here's how to type up a paper list.

No. You can try it, and order, without signing up for anything.

No. Birdfolio is independent and not affiliated with eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or iNaturalist. We simply read the file that eBird or iNaturalist lets you download.

A life list is every species of bird a person has ever seen. Each new species is a lifer. More in our guide: What is a life list?

A hardcover, 8.5 × 11 inches. There are 3 sizes, set by the length of your list: Standard up to 300 species, Complete up to 1,000 species, Grand over 1,000 species. Bigger lists get more birds to a page, never smaller books.

Standard $79, Complete $99, Grand $129. US shipping included. Express shipping is $30 more. You see the total before you pay, and your preview tells you which size fits your list.

Most are. About 7 in 10 birds are classic paintings; where no painting exists, we use a credited wildlife photograph. Your preview shows exactly which, before you order. If we have no picture of a bird yet, you choose: we find one (a few days longer), a simple outline marked as such, or your own photo. We never use AI-generated birds.

Your preview tells you before you order, and you choose for each bird: we find a real picture for it (your book then ships about 5 business days later), a simple drawn outline marked “Outline” in the book, or your own photo of that bird. We can find pictures for up to 25 birds per book; for more than that, choose an outline or your own photo for some of them, or write to us.

Yes, free, for any species on your list. Please add only photos you took, or that the photographer has said you can print. We check each photo is sharp enough to print well. You keep the copyright; we use your photos only to print your book. If you like, you can also share a photo you took with other birders: we may then print it in their books, credited to you.

Yes. In your preview, choose how many birds go on a page (1, 2, 4, 6 or 9) and the order: by family (field-guide order), by date first seen or by country. Your preview offers the ones your list supports. The layout doesn't change the price.

Yes. You can put a name on the cover and add a dedication of up to 60 words, with a signature line, printed near the front of the book.

We match your records to AviList, the global checklist of the world's birds, and print the common names North American birders know. If a species has been split or merged since you logged it, a notes page explains what changed.

We name every bird by AviList, the global checklist of the world's birds, and a few species are split or merged differently there. For example, eBird counts Warbling Vireo as two species (eastern and western); AviList's current edition counts one. Records that aren't a full species, like a “gull sp.”, aren't in either total. When your total differs, your preview lists the birds under “Name changes we handled”, and a notes page in your book explains each one. More: bird splits and lumps.

Your own records decide: every species in your file goes in your book. Under the American Birding Association's rules, a bird you identified by its song or call counts. More: what counts on a life list.

For very long lists: every bird on its own page, in matching volumes that come together in one parcel. It's offered when one book can't give every bird its own page, from $199 for 2 volumes, US shipping included. Your preview shows whether it's offered for your list, and the price.

Yes. Add one extra copy of the same book when you order: $49 (Standard), $69 (Complete) or $79 (Grand). It's printed with yours and sent in the same parcel, to the same address. With a Collector's Edition, you can add a second set.

Your file is read in your own browser and nothing is uploaded while you explore. Your list stays saved on your device for 7 days, so you can pick up where you left off. When you order, we receive only what's needed to print and ship your book, and we delete your files 30 days after delivery.

Your book ships within 7 business days of your order (12 for orders placed from Nov 16 to Dec 31). With Standard shipping it usually arrives in about 2–3 weeks from your order (3–4 weeks in November and December). Express shipping is $30 more and takes about 1–1.5 weeks (2–3 weeks in November and December). You see your delivery dates before you pay. Details: Shipping and Returns.

Not yet. We're starting with the United States; other countries will follow.

Yes. Enter their US address as the shipping address when you pay.

Send us a photo within 7 days of delivery and we'll reprint it free.

Damage in transit, printing or binding defects, and a book that doesn't match the preview you approved. You don't need to send the damaged book back. It doesn't cover mistakes in the details you approved (names, dates, places), or small color differences between your screen and the printed page.

No. Every Birdfolio is made from your own list, so we can't take it back or exchange it if you change your mind. You can cancel for a full refund until your book goes to print, 6 hours after you order; your order confirmation email gives the exact time. Details: Shipping and Returns.

Birdfolio is a small, independent business. You see your species count and the first pages of your book free before you pay, and you pay on Stripe's secure page. Our production partner, Lulu, prints and binds each book to order and ships it to your door in the US. A damaged or defective book is reprinted free. More: About Birdfolio.

No. Our website is mybirdfolio.com. We're not connected with birdfolio.com, an earlier bird-sightings website project, or with the @birdfolio account on X.

Gift cards are emailed right away, never expire and have no fees. Choose $79, $99 or $129: each is the price of a book size, US shipping included. The birder redeems it at mybirdfolio.com/redeem, adds their own list when they're ready, and we print their book then. Any balance stays on the code.

Yes: that's what gift cards are for. You don't need to know a single bird. Not sure how long their list is? The Complete card covers any list up to 1,000 species. Buy a gift card.