This web site will show each different coin design showing identifiable representations of real birds. There will be one entry for each design, even if the design is used on more than one coin. Designs showing different depictions of the same bird will get a different entries. Repeat uses of the same design will be indicated by showing several KM numbers together. The purpose of this site is to bring together data in one place that has been collected over forty years. Most of the coin identifications and compositions are available in the Krause & Mischler catalogs, but it is not easy to search for all the bird coin designs, and not all birds are identified in the catalog. The coins are listed on different pages for each issuing country. For each design there will be listed: the common name of the bird, the scientific name, the denomination, the first date of issue, the Krause and Mischler catalog number (where available), and the composition. Where multiple coins are entered in one slot, the design has been reused with either a change in composition or a change in the design on the other side of the coin. A photograph will be added where it is available. Most photographs are to a common scale: The green background is 5.0 cm wide, and the scale at the bottom is in millimeters. The compositions will be abbreviated: Ae = bronze, Ag = silver, Al = aluminum, AlBz = aluminum bronze, AN = aureate nickel, Au = gold, Bs = brass, AlB = aluminum bronze, BiM = bimetallic, CN = copper nickel, CNZ = copper-nickel-zinc (German silver), Cu = copper, Cu/Fe = copper plated steel, NG = nordic gold, Ni = nickel, NiBs = nickel brass, Ni/Fe = nickel plated steel, Pd = palladium, Pt = platinum, Zn = zinc,
Several classes of "animals" are being omitted: Mythical creatures and heraldic creatures which do not refer to identifiable species. Bullion coins such as kookaburras and Chinese New Years coins are also excluded. Coverage of ancient coinage is admittedly spotty.