BRDL
Rate itWordle for birders: find the day's four-letter bird banding code in six tries.
on brdl.alex.gd
BRDL is a Wordle for birders. The answer each day is a four-letter bird banding code, the short codes birders use for species such as MODO for mourning dove or STJA for Steller's jay, and you have six guesses with coloured tiles to find it. It is free in the browser and has run daily since January 2022.
About BRDL
BRDL, which its makers call a birdification of Wordle, swaps the five-letter English word for a four-letter bird banding code. These codes, used by bird banders and birders across North America, are built from the bird's common name, so AMRO is American robin and GREG is great egret. Each day has one numbered BRDL, the same code for every player.
Play follows Wordle. You type a four-letter code, and only valid bird codes are accepted. Green marks a letter in the right place, yellow a letter in the code but in the wrong place, and grey a letter not in it. You have six tries; a guess that is not a real code shakes the row and is not counted. When you finish, Copy stats gives the day's number and an emoji grid of your guesses to share. The page keeps no history, so there is no streak or archive, and a reload starts the day's board again.
The game came out of the Audubon Slack, forked from an earlier Wordle clone with code from Queerdle, using a list of codes compiled by rgeraldporter and put together by hootalex. It has a choice of colour themes named after birds and links to an explanation of bird codes for newcomers.
It suits birders who already know their codes, and players who want to learn them a few letters at a time.
How to play BRDL
- Type a valid four-letter bird banding code and press Enter.
- Read the tiles: green is the right letter in the right place, yellow is in the code elsewhere, grey is not in it.
- Use what you learned to pick a bird whose code fits.
- Find the code within six guesses, then copy your stats to share.
Screenshots
Tips
- Most two-word bird names give two letters from each word, as in MODO for mourning dove; one-word names usually give their first four letters, as in OSPR for osprey.
- Start with a code whose letters are common in bird names, such as one with A, R and O.
- If you are new to codes, read the site's link on what a bird code is before your first game.
- Do not reload the page mid-game: the board is not saved, so your guesses so far are lost.
Questions
What is a bird banding code?
A four-letter short name for a bird species, formed from its common name, used by birders and bird banders; for example MODO is mourning dove.
How many guesses does BRDL give?
Six guesses for one code a day. Guesses that are not valid bird codes are refused and do not use up a try.
When does a new BRDL come out?
At midnight by your device's clock: the game counts the days since 23 January 2022 and shows that day's code.
Is BRDL free?
Yes. It is free in the browser, with no sign-up and no ads.
Ratings and reviews
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