> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.birdtab.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Video Mode

> Watch birds in motion with short video clips from the Macaulay Library.

<Info>Video mode is a BirdTab Pro feature. [Start your free trial](/installation) or [upgrade to Pro](/pro/overview) to use it.</Info>

Video mode replaces the static bird photo with a short clip of the bird in its natural habitat — preening, singing, foraging, or in flight.

<video autoPlay muted loop playsInline width="1280" height="720" style={{ borderRadius: '0.5rem', width: '100%', height: 'auto' }}>
  <source src="https://mintcdn.com/birdtab/mMS_-hy5jDGR5gcB/videos/video-mode.mp4?fit=max&auto=format&n=mMS_-hy5jDGR5gcB&q=85&s=571130003ffeda46ddddd2af9cb524f8" type="video/mp4" data-path="videos/video-mode.mp4" />
</video>

## Enabling video mode

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings">
    Click the gear icon in the bottom-right corner.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Video Mode">
    Toggle **Video Mode** on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open a new tab">
    The next tab you open will show a video instead of a photo.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Playback controls

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Play / Pause" icon="play">
    Click anywhere on the video to play or pause.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Progress bar" icon="bars-progress">
    Appears on hover, auto-hides after 3 seconds. Seek by clicking.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quiet Hours" icon="moon">
    Videos auto-play muted during Quiet Hours. Unmute manually if needed.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Videos loop continuously.

## Automatic fallbacks

BirdTab silently falls back to the static photo when:

* No video is available for the current bird
* A slow connection is detected
* The video fails to load

## Memory management

<Tip>
  Videos unload automatically after **30 seconds** in the background to keep memory usage low across many open tabs. A play overlay appears when you return — click it to reload.
</Tip>

## Videographer credit

Each video is credited to the original videographer with a link to the Macaulay Library asset.