Start a search by looking at the search categories on the search screen. When you select items in the different categories, the web site search engine uses your selections to present thumbnail images of the species that matched your selections. You can select from any combination of the search categories, from none at all to all of them, in order to do a search.
We recommend that when you start a search, you select search options from only one or two categories. The more selections you make, the more limited your search will be. If you are unsure of any of the search options, it is better not to make a selection than to risk making the wrong choice. If your first search yields too many species, you can search again (click "Back to search"), this time adjusting your search options to narrow down your results.
If you make no selections and click "Search now" you will see all the species in the database.
Type
You can select only one type. The type categories are groups of species that are either related or similar in appearance. The small silhouette illustrates a typical representative of that category. If you're not sure which type the species you're searching for belongs to, click "About Types." If you are still unsure, leave this category blank.
You can select as many colors as you wish, but all the colors that you select must appear on the species. If you're not sure about a color, don't select it. The more colors you select, the more limited your search will be.
You can select more than one size to accommodate a greater range. The more sizes you select, the broader your search will be. If you are searching birds, for example, and you select "2 to 6 inches," the bird must be between 2 inches and 6 inches long. If you select both "2 to 6 inches" and "5 to 13 inches," all birds between 2 inches and 13 inches will be found.
You may select as many habitats as you like. The more habitats you select, the broader your search will be. This way, if you are not sure of a habitat you can choose several, and if your species is in one of them it will show up in your results. Click on the link to Nature Resources to read about and view photographs of habitats of North America. If you want to see a list of all the species that appear in a certain habitat, such as beaches and shorelines, simply check that habitat, enter no other search criteria, and click "Search now."
You may select as many regions as you like. The more regions you select, the broader your search will be, and your search results will include species that live in any of the regions chosen. Click "View Map" to see a map of the regions listed. If you want to see a list of all the species that live in a particular region, such as Florida, simply check that region, enter no other search criteria, and click "Search now."
If you wish to do a text search, you may type in a full name, part of a name, or even part of a word. Each of these options is likely to give you different results. For example, in Birds Search if you type in "common raven," the search will find the Common Raven. If you type just "raven," the search will find all ravens. If you type in "rav," your search will yield all ravens, Craveri’s Murrelet, and the Greater Shearwater, whose Latin name, Puffinus gravis, contains the letters "rav."
If your search yields the message "No matching records found," it is likely that you entered too many search items. Go back to the search screen, eliminate one item, and try again. Keep doing this until you find your species. If your species still doesn’t turn up, it may be that it is not in the database, or it may be that it is a variation on a species image shown (females and juveniles often look different). To see if the species is in the database, click "Show All Images" and browse through all the species.
