Best practices for recording, editing, and uploading videos to eBird and the Macaulay Library


The Macaulay Library is a scientific archive of natural history media from around the world. Video can capture unique aspects of bird life that still photos and audio cannot. Starting in 2026, we welcome video contributions from any user! However, video files require significant storage space and hold long-term research value, so we encourage contributors to upload only their best, most useful clips. This guide combines tips for filming birds in the field with preparation, editing, and upload guidelines.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Key Points at a Glance

  • Aim for quality: Sharp, stable, high resolution, good lighting and composition.
  • Tech specs: MP4, MOV, M4V format; max 1 GB per file; at least 720p resolution (1080p or 4K preferred); up to 10 files per species per checklist.
  • Length: aim for at least 30 seconds, longer when possible.
  • Tripod highly recommended for stability.
  • Attempt to capture high-quality audio, and include audio whenever possible.
  • No watermarks, borders, text, or added music; keep video natural.
  • Each uploaded file should be a continuous clip; avoid composite videos.
  • Add Metadata: Make sure date/time/location accurate; add notes, age/sex, and behaviors after upload.
  • Rate your videos after upload to help others find high-quality material.

Recording in the Field: Best Practices

Capturing high-quality bird video requires planning and practice, as wildlife rarely cooperates! These guidelines will help maximize your chances of useful, archive-worthy footage.


Stabilize the Camera

A stable image is one of the most important aspects of good wildlife footage. A sturdy tripod with a fluid head is ideal, but any tripod can be better than nothing. If using a tripod on solid ground, consider turning off image stabilization (IS), which can sometimes introduce unwanted motion. Without a tripod, rest the camera on a rock, tree trunk, or other stable object to reduce shake. Active stabilization on modern mirrorless+telephoto can be quite good, so make sure you’re using the best IS settings and practice smooth motion if attempting to shoot hand-held.


Stabilization in video editing software in post can sometimes help a clip that is only slightly unstable, but it can easily make more dramatically shaky footage look very unnatural, so use it with caution, and don’t expect a miracle.


Choose High-Quality Settings

Record at least 1080p (Full HD), but use 4K whenever possible to capture more detail. Shooting in 8K usually isn’t necessary and greatly increases file size, but can be useful if you plan to heavily crop the video before upload.

A common frame rate is 30 fps (29.94 fps), but higher frame rates like 60 or 120 fps can be useful for capturing more detail or if you want to slow down motion—60 fps allows smooth half-speed playback; 120 fps allows clean quarter-speed. See below for slow-motion recommendations.


Match shutter speed to about 2× your frame rate (e.g., 30 fps → 1/60s, 60 fps → 1/120s) to achieve natural-looking motion. Slower shutter speeds mean you’ll often need a low ISO and small aperture for proper exposure. Bright, sunny days can be tricky with these settings, so sometimes cloudy or overcast days are actually preferable for balanced exposure.


Learn Your Gear

Wildlife video opportunities are often fleeting. Knowing how to quickly adjust settings for changing light, background, or movement will help you react in time. Practice shooting and making adjustments so they become second nature.


Lighting

Light dramatically affects video appearance. Try to keep the sun behind you, and avoid harsh midday light if possible. Early morning and late afternoon “golden hour” lighting can produce warm, soft illumination, though cloudy days often yield the most neutral colors and easier exposures.


Positioning: Distance, Height, and Composition

Getting closer increases detail, but avoid approaching in ways that disturb the bird. Sometimes filming from farther away can capture a better sense of the bird interacting with its habitat. Keep the entire bird in frame when possible, and avoid awkward truncation unless the bird is too large to fit entirely. Position subjects according to the rule of thirds, leaving “looking space” in the frame for a bird’s direction of gaze or movement; this makes for more aesthetically pleasing footage. Extreme closeups can be interesting, but shots that show the whole bird with some amount of habitat can be more useful and informative. Try for different framing in different clips to capture variety.


Importantly, lower shooting angles are often more flattering and make the video look more natural. Many tripods have adjustable legs for low profiles, which also reduce wind shake.



Focus and Following

Aim for a sharp focus on the bird’s face, and try to maintain it throughout the clip. Some cameras allow magnifying part of the screen before recording for more precise focus, which is especially helpful for manual focus. Autofocus systems can track eyes but may jump to unwanted objects mid-shot; learn how to override or stop AF quickly if needed.


Decide before recording whether you will follow the bird with a pan or hold the camera still and allow it to leave the frame. Making this choice ahead of time avoids jerky, indecisive movements. Note that cheaper tripods often yield less smooth panning; in such cases, static shots are often best.


Capture Behavior with Longer Clips

Behavior is the great strength of video. Stay with the bird longer than feels necessary. Clips of only a few seconds are less useful. Aim for 20–30 seconds or more per clip to capture potential interactions, movements, or vocalizations. A longer video can always be trimmed if needed, but there is no saving a video that is too short.


Don’t Forget Audio

Good audio can be crucial to understanding behavior and appreciating the full potential of video. Consider using an external microphone, avoid talking or moving while filming, and be conscious of noise from autofocus or IS systems. Audio is valuable data in the archive, so try to avoid removing it completely, and never replace it with music or other unnatural sound.


Keep Metadata Accurate

Every ML video is a scientific record. Ensure your camera’s clock is correct (date and time) and create an eBird checklist as soon as you begin birding. This will log precise date and location, which ties directly to your uploads. Record what equipment you used and add any observed behaviors during upload.. These details will add immense scientific value to your footage.


Preparing and Editing Your Video

High-quality video begins in the field, but a few editing steps can make it much better. You may be able to use free editing software that comes on most computers, such as Quicktime, iMovie (Mac), or Microsoft Photos (PC). If uploading video taken on your phone, your native camera app usually offers at least the ability to trim a clip before uploading. Other low-cost or free video software that works well includes DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere (Pro or Elements), CapCut Pro, and Movani Video Suite.


Editing steps

Here's what to do—and don't do—when processing your video.

  • Trim: Recommended. Remove shaky beginnings and ends of clips. If possible, allow a buffer of a few seconds after the bird leaves the frame before ending.
  • Crop: Avoid cropping unless starting with high resolution (4K or above); cropping reduces final image quality, and some space around the bird is often a good thing.
  • Audio: Keep the original whenever possible; lowering volume is better than outright removal. Never replace field audio with other audio or music.
  • Color correction: Optional; keep colors natural, avoiding over-saturation or heavy modification beyond what was observed.
  • Slow motion: If you upload slowed footage, note the original frame rate and playback speed in media notes. For example: "120FPS video resampled at 1/4 speed." Do not slow down just a part of an otherwise normal speed video, or repeat a section in slow-motion in the same clip. In general, default to uploading normal speed footage unless specifically shooting at high frame rates.
  • Stabilization: see stabilization section above. Stabilization can work well in some cases, and utterly fail in others. If stabilization does not look natural, revert and do not upload the stabilized video.


Export Settings

Aim to preserve as much of the original quality as possible when exporting from a program like those mentioned above.

  • Resolution: Match your export resolution to your original footage—typically 1920×1080 for HD or around 3840×2160 for 4K. Avoid downscaling unless necessary to stay under the 1 GB file limit.
  • Frame rate: Keep the original frame rate (e.g., 30 fps, 60 fps) to maintain natural motion; do not convert frame rates unless intentionally creating slow-motion output.
  • Codec & format: Export in a widely compatible format such as H.264 in an MP4, MOV, or M4V container, which balances quality and file size.
  • Bitrate: this controls the amount of data stored per second of video. Higher bitrates preserve more fine detail but result in larger files. For most bird footage:
    • 1080p: Use ~20–40 Mbps for excellent quality.
    • 4K: Use ~60–100 Mbps for excellent quality.
    • If your exported file exceeds 1 GB, you can lower the bitrate incrementally until it fits, but avoid going so low that fine feather detail becomes smeared or blocky.
  • Audio: Keep the original audio track in PCM or AAC format (AAC at 320 kbps is typical).

Uploading to Macaulay Library via eBird

Uploading video is the same process as audio or photos.

  1. Transfer your video to your computer.
  2. Lightly edit as above (trim, adjust exposure/audio if needed).
  3. Open your eBird checklist for the same date/time/location.
  4. Click Add Media or Manage Media.
  5. Drag and drop your file or browse to select it under the correct species.
  6. Fill in media notes, background species, age/sex info, quality rating, and any behaviors seen in the video. See our tagging media page for more information.
  7. Upload distinct clips separately, up to 10 videos per species per checklist.


Which Videos Should I Upload?

We encourage you to upload videos that meet these criteria:

  • Stable image from tripod or smooth handheld.
  • Subject in sharp focus, maintained throughout.
  • Well-composed shot, good lighting.
  • Captures visual or behavioral detail useful to others.
  • Both common and rare species.
  • Videos must be your own and adhere to the media licensing agreement.


Please do not upload:

  • Low-quality clips purely for documenting rarities or adding birds to your video life list.
  • Most video taken with a phone, unless it is exceptionally close to the bird or very well-shot digiscoping.
  • Composite videos combining multiple, separate clips.
  • Videos of scenery, birders, or habitat without visible birds (for now).
  • Videos with watermarks, text, music, or other artificial additions.
  • Videos taken solely for audio—extract sound and upload separately via audio guidelines.
  • Videos not corresponding to the exact time and location of your checklist—create a separate checklist to upload these.


Rating Your Videos

When rating, focus on technical quality, not rarity or unusual behavior.


Consider:

  • Visibility: Bird fills a reasonable portion of the frame; wide shots still useful but rate lower.
  • Stability: Smooth, steady camera work.
  • Sharpness & focus continuity: Maintained throughout.
  • Lighting & exposure: Balanced; avoid harsh shadows or overexposure.
  • Composition/background: Pleasing composition; backgrounds not overly cluttered.
  • Watermarks/text: Deduct stars depending on intrusiveness.


Rating scale:

  • 5 stars — excellent in all factors above.
  • 4 stars — very good, minor flaws.
  • 3 stars — decent, several moderate flaws.
  • 2 stars — poor quality or severe exposure/focus issues.
  • 1 star — very poor; generally should not be uploaded.


Filming birds is both an art and a scientific contribution. By following these guidelines, you can help keep the Macaulay Library a world-class resource for birders, educators, and researchers, and create an archive of your own best work that will stand the test of time.



FAQs

What if my video too large to upload (over the 1GB limit)?

The first option is to reduce the bitrate on export so that the resulting file stays below 1GB. This will usually reduce file size without having much of an impact on visible quality. If you want to avoid this, or have already reduced the bitrate, you may want to trim the video or split it into multiple sections. Longer videos (>30s) are generally more useful, but for very long clips (2min+) this may be needed.


Can I upload video straight from my phone?

Yes, you can upload a video via your web browser directly off your phone. However, consider trimming it first. Transferring it to a computer to process and upload it from there may be preferable.


I have multiple videos of the same bird. Should I upload all of them or just one or two?

If you have several high-quality videos of the same species that show different individuals or different behaviors or angles, uploading multiple videos is encouraged. The eBird upload limit is 10 videos per species on a checklist. If you have multiple videos of the same individual, only upload those that illustrate different zooms, angles, or behaviors; avoid uploading nearly identical shots of the same bird.


Should I upload video of other animals, such as mammals or reptiles?

Definitely. High-quality video of other animals is very valuable. Use the same guidelines and recommendations above for video of any animal. See more information under Checklist Media.


What metadata should I add to uploaded videos?

Whenever possible, any other species that appear, any relevant sound types, whether playback was used, age/sex of target species if known, relevant behaviors and tags, equipment used, and any additional notes about the context of the video. See this page on tagging media.


What if I upload a video to the wrong species?

No problem! You can always switch any media around on the Manage Media page just by dragging, or clicking the Change Species button, either on the whole observation or just one or more pieces of media.


What if my video contains multiple species?

Additional species visible in a video can be added using the Additional Species field in the metadata panel. If the subject of a video changes partway through, you should make a copy before uploading and trim each to focus on the species of interest. In general, avoid uploading identical files to multiple species.


What if I don’t have an eBird checklist for my video? Can I upload historical videos?

Yes, if you have videos where you didn't keep a checklist in the field, you can still upload these by creating a new checklist for the time and date of the video, use the Historical protocol, and be sure to answer "No" to indicate it's not a complete checklist. Then upload and add metadata as normal—but be sure to keep an eBird checklist for future outings.