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Graphical projection
Planar Parallel projection Orthographic projection Multiviews Plan, or floor plan Section Elevation Auxiliary Axonometric projection Isometric projection Dimetric projection Trimetric projection Oblique projection Cavalier projection Cabinet projection Perspective projection Linear perspective One-point perspective Two-point perspective Three-point perspective Zero-point perspective Curvilinear perspective Reverse perspective
Other 3D projection Stereographic projection Anamorphic projection
Views Bird's-eye view/Aerial view Detail view 3/4 perspective Cutaway drawing Exploded view drawing Fisheye Fixed 3D Panorama Top-down perspective Worm's-eye view Zoom
Topics Computer graphics Computer-aided design Descriptive geometry Engineering drawing Foreshortening Map projection Projective geometry Technical drawing Vanishing point

A bird's-eye view is an oblique view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird, often used in the making of blueprints, floor plans and maps.

It can be an aerial photograph, but also a drawing. Before manned flight was common, the term "bird's eye" was used to distinguish views drawn from direct observation at high locations (for example a mountain or tower), from those constructed from an imagined (bird's) perspectives. Bird's eye views as a genre have existed since classical times. The last great flourishing of them was in the mid-to-late 19th century, when bird's eye view prints were popular in the United States and Europe.

The terms aerial view and aerial viewpoint are also sometimes used synonymously with bird's-eye view. The term aerial view can refer to any view from a great height, even at a wide angle, as for example when looking sideways from an airplane window or from a mountain top. Overhead view is fairly synonymous with bird's-eye view but tends to imply a less lofty vantage point than the latter term. For example, in computer and video games, an "overhead view" of a character or situation often places the vantage point only a few feet above human height. See top-down perspective.

Recent technological and networking developments have made satellite images more accessible. Microsoft Bing Maps offers direct overhead satellite photos of the entire planet but also offers a feature named Bird's eye view in some locations. The Bird's Eye photos are angled at 40 degrees rather than being straight down. Satellite imaging programs and photos have been described as offering a viewer the opportunity to "fly over" and observe the world from this specific angle.

Classical bird's-eye view from an airplane	Green fields of England from the sky	The view from the window of an aeroplane while going through a cloud	A bird's-eye view of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói in Brazil
Bird's-eye view from the basket of a hot air balloon	Bird's-eye view from Aachen Cathedral

See also

• Aerial landscape art
• Aerial perspective (disambiguation)
• Aerial photography
• Pictometry
• Plans (drawings)
• Top-down perspective
• Worm's-eye view