MessageBird (now Bird)

2.2.0 · deprecated · verified Fri Mar 27

MessageBird rebranded as Bird in February 2024. The old messagebird PyPI package (last version 2.2.0, released 2022) is no longer maintained and targets the legacy API. The new Python SDK is bird-python on PyPI, targeting the Bird API at docs.bird.com. LLMs almost universally generate the old package name.

Warnings

breaking MessageBird rebranded as Bird in February 2024. The messagebird PyPI package (2.2.0) is unmaintained and targets the legacy API. New features (workspaces, channels, WhatsApp via Bird API) are only available in the bird-python package.
Fix: pip uninstall messagebird && pip install bird-python. Update API documentation reference from developers.messagebird.com to docs.bird.com.
breaking The new Bird API has a completely different message-sending model. Instead of client.message_create(src, dst, text), it uses workspace + channel selection followed by client.send_message(channels_id, body). All old code patterns break.
Fix: Set workspace: client.workspaces = client.workspace_list()['results'][0]['id']. Get channel ID: client.channel_list(). Then send with the new body format.
gotcha Both the old messagebird package and the new bird-python package use import messagebird as the import statement. This makes it impossible to tell from the import line alone which API version the code targets.
Fix: Check which PyPI package is installed (pip show messagebird vs pip show bird-python). The new Bird API requires workspace/channel setup before sending.
gotcha Access keys from the old MessageBird dashboard may not work with the new Bird API. The Bird platform uses a new authentication system via manage.bird.com.
Fix: Generate new API keys at manage.bird.com. Old keys from manage.messagebird.com may be valid during transition but should be rotated.

Install

pip install messagebird DEPRECATED — legacy package, unmaintained since 2022
pip install bird-python Current — new Bird SDK (post-rebrand)

Imports

messagebird.Client

# New Bird SDK (post-rebrand 2024):
import messagebird  # import name still messagebird inside bird-python
client = messagebird.Client('YOUR_ACCESS_KEY')

# Legacy API (still works against old rest.messagebird.com):
import messagebird
client = messagebird.Client('YOUR_ACCESS_KEY')
msg = client.message_create('+31612345678', ['+14155551234'], 'Hello!')

The import name messagebird is used in BOTH the old and new SDKs. The difference is which PyPI package you install: messagebird (old, dead) vs bird-python (new, active). The new Bird API has a completely different structure with workspaces and channels.

Quickstart

New Bird SDK pattern. Requires workspace and channel selection before sending.

# Install: pip install bird-python
import messagebird  # import name unchanged in bird-python

client = messagebird.Client('YOUR_ACCESS_KEY')

try:
    # New Bird API — workspace + channel based
    client.workspaces = client.workspace_list()['results'][0]['id']
    channel_id = client.channel_list()['results'][0]['id']

    response = client.send_message(
        channels_id=channel_id,
        body={
            'receiver': {
                'contacts': [{'identifierValue': '+14155551234'}]
            },
            'body': {
                'type': 'text',
                'text': {'text': 'Hello from Bird!'}
            }
        }
    )
except messagebird.client.ErrorException as e:
    for error in e.errors:
        print(error.description)

view raw JSON →