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:

1. Replace `YOUR_EBIRD_API_KEY` with your actual eBird API key

2. Create the config file if it doesn't exist

3. Install the package globally with `npm install -g ebird-mcp-server` if you haven't already

4. 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

1. Clone this repository or download the files

2. Run the Claude Desktop setup script:

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

3. Restart Claude Desktop

For Other MCP Clients

1. Clone this repository or download the files

2. Run the installation script:

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

3. The server is now installed and can be run with:

./run-ebird-mcp-server.sh

Manual Installation

1. Clone this repository or download the files

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. 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