eBird MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating with the eBird API. This server allows AI assistants, like Claude, to access bird observation data, hotspots, and taxonomy information from eBird.

Quick Setup for Claude Desktop

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

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

Make sure to:

Replace YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY with your actual eBird API key
Create the config file if it doesn't exist
Install the package globally with npm install -g ebird-mcp-server if you haven't already
Restart Claude Desktop after saving the changes

Note: You can get an eBird API key from eBird API Key Request

Features

The eBird MCP server provides access to the following eBird data:

Recent bird observations in a region
Recent observations of specific bird species
Notable bird observations in a region
Observations near a location
Notable observations near a location
Birding hotspots in a region
Hotspots near a location
eBird taxonomy information

Prerequisites

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

Installation

For Claude Desktop

Clone this repository or download the files
Run the Claude Desktop setup script:

chmod +x claude_setup.sh
./claude_setup.sh YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY

Restart Claude Desktop

For Other MCP Clients

Clone this repository or download the files
Run the installation script:

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY

The server is now installed and can be run with:

./run-ebird-mcp-server.sh

Manual Installation

Clone this repository or download the files
Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the server:

node index.js --api-key YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY

Available Tools

ebird_get_recent_observations

Get recent bird observations in a region or location.

Parameters:

regionCode (required): Region code (e.g., US, US-NY, L123456)
back: Number of days back to look for observations (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 of results ('simple' or 'full', default: 'simple')

ebird_get_recent_observations_for_species

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

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 look for observations (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)

ebird_get_notable_observations

Get notable bird observations in a region.

Parameters:

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

ebird_get_nearby_observations

Get recent bird observations near a location.

Parameters:

lat (required): Latitude coordinate
lng (required): Longitude coordinate
dist: Distance in kilometers from lat/lng point (default: 25)
back: Number of days back to look for observations (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 of results ('simple' or 'full', default: 'simple')

ebird_get_nearby_notable_observations

Get notable bird observations near a location.

Parameters:

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

ebird_get_nearby_observations_for_species

Get recent observations of a specific bird species near a location.

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 lat/lng point (default: 25)
back: Number of days back to look for observations (default: 14)
maxResults: Maximum number of results to return (default: 100)
includeProvisional: Include provisional observations (default: true)

ebird_get_hotspots

Get birding hotspots in a region.

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)

ebird_get_nearby_hotspots

Get birding hotspots near a location.

Parameters:

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

ebird_get_taxonomy

Get eBird taxonomy information.

Parameters:

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

ebird_get_taxonomy_forms

Get eBird taxonomy forms for a specific species.

Parameters:

speciesCode (required): eBird species code

Testing

To test the eBird MCP server, set your eBird API key as an environment variable and run the test script:

export EBIRD_API_KEY=your_api_key
node test-ebird.js

Debug Mode

To enable debug mode and see detailed logging:

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

License

MIT

Acknowledgements

eBird for providing the API
Cornell Lab of Ornithology for their work on bird conservation
Model Context Protocol for the API integration framework

Categories

Current Category: birdwatching

ebird-mcp-server