# Adding a 'eBird Global 4-Letter Code' lexicon? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [July 30, 2021, 7:43am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189 "2021-07-30T07:43:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 7:43am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/1 "2021-07-30T07:43:53Z")
eBird uses a 4 letter code which is worldwide unlike the AOU. For an easy way to abbreviate all birds worldwide, how about we add this lexicon to iNat? **The rules:** (from the California Bird Club [https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/bandcodes.html](https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/bandcodes.html)) Here is a summary of the basic rules: If the name is one word, the code is the first four letters. DICK Dickcissel SORA Sora If the name is two unhyphenated words, the code is the first two letters of each word. MODO Mourning Dove AMRO American Robin If the name is three words, the code is the first letter of each of the first two words, and the first two letters of the third word. A name of three hyphenated words is treated the same way. GCFL Great Crested Flycatcher AWPE American White Pelican CWWI Chuck-will’s-widow If the name is a word and a pair of hyphenated words, the code is the first two letters of the unhyphenated word and the first letter of each of the hyphenated words. Hyphenated word first (coded essentially the same as a three-word name): BTGR Boat-tailed Grackle RTHU Ruby-throated Hummingbird RTHA Red-tailed Hawk Hyphenated word last: EASO Eastern Screech-Owl EAWP Eastern Wood-Pewee There are a very few bird names where the first word contains two capital letters. Such words are treated like a hyphenated word: LCSP LeConte’s Sparrow MGWA MacGillivray’s Warbler If the name has four parts, either separate words or hyphenated parts, the code is the first letter of each part BCNH Black-crowned Night-Heron NRWS Northern Rough-winged Swallow **Advantages:** More species, faster, which allows convenience to a far wider audience (I am quite annoyed that an American could type AMRO to get American Robin but I have no ability to type OMRO and instead have to type Oriental Magpie Robin which is long, or _Copsychus saularis_ which is easy to typo) Easier to figure out the name without memorizing due to constant rules Makes iNat easier to use for eBird users ---
**Author:** ![lawnranger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lawnranger/32/34961_2.png) [@lawnranger](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lawnranger)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 8:34am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/2 "2021-07-30T08:34:46Z")
Does eBird publish an official list? Importing the list would be far easier than adding them all manually one at a time ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 8:51am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/3 "2021-07-30T08:51:52Z")
No, but the rules are simple so we can add them slowly by slowly (duhhh it would take a long time but its worth it I actually went around adding every single accipiter to the AOU code before I deleted them all when I realized there is an official list) This means that utterly devoted and enthusiastic users can achieve this monumental feat ---
**Author:** ![nrg800](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/nrg800/32/76004_2.png) [@nrg800](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/nrg800)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 8:59am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/4 "2021-07-30T08:59:17Z")
Yeah, they do have one. I’m not sure where it officially is, but [here’s](https://mega.nz/file/rVRXQAjJ#p8b_nRYnkCCccDayL61wfFWJPlCXXpnxUhZebkNSg7s) a spreadsheet I have saved with the Cornell species code, the common name 4-letter code, scientific name 4-letter code and a ‘banding code’ (not sure what that’s for). So for example, Shikhra has: shikra1 SHIK ACBA ---
**Author:** ![plains-wanderer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/plains-wanderer/32/20398_2.png) [@plains-wanderer](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/plains-wanderer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/5 "2021-07-30T09:01:04Z")
On eBird, each species has multiple 4-letter combinations; e.g., the name Oriental Magpie-Robin (𝘊𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴) pops up no matter you enter OMRO, ORMR, or COSA. I doubt there is an official list of codes for birds not occurring in ABA area. I’d rather think is to do with programming. ---
**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/6 "2021-07-30T09:01:09Z")
Probably the result of those 2 systems mentioned here [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha\_codes\_(birds)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_codes_(birds))? With this system using in Americas, what’s the use of it worldwide for other species? There’re local abbrevations in use I guess. ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/7 "2021-07-30T09:01:21Z")
Yes we should also include Scientific names, probably should be marked a different lexicon all together ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/8 "2021-07-30T09:04:52Z")
But only the first two words are interchangeable. This is why OMAR doesn’t work ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:05am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/9 "2021-07-30T09:05:39Z")
Just utter typing convenience (I elaborated on it in the original post) ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:06am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/10 "2021-07-30T09:06:47Z")
There is a system though [https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/bandcodes.html](https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/bandcodes.html) ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:10am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/11 "2021-07-30T09:10:55Z")
And this is also for different codes. eBird recommends using the steps mentioned above. These are just for lack of confusion over systems. ---
**Author:** ![vihaking277](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vihaking277/32/15687_2.png) [@vihaking277](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vihaking277)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 9:25am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/12 "2021-07-30T09:25:03Z")
The list shows synonyms as well,. ![Capture](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/c/f/cf3d2e45d554e92d645c6e6a488bd13c39a3a0ab.png) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/adding-a-ebird-global-4-letter-code-lexicon/25189/14 "2021-09-29T18:04:22Z")
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.