Merlin Bird ID

Merlin makes bird identification easy for beginners and experts. You can answer a few questions about where and when you saw a bird, its size, colors, and behavior, and Merlin suggests species. Photo ID uses image recognition to name a bird from a picture, and Sound ID listens to birdsong through your phone’s microphone in real time and shows which species are singing, which many users find astonishing.

The app is built on data from eBird, a huge citizen science project where birdwatchers log sightings, and machine learning trained on millions of photos and recordings. Downloadable regional packs let you identify birds without cell service, which helps in the field. Each species has photos, sounds, maps, and information, and a life list lets you track birds you have seen.

Merlin is free and supported by the Cornell Lab’s nonprofit mission. Identification can be wrong for rare birds, poor images, or noisy recordings, so careful birders confirm with a field guide or experts. Alternatives include iNaturalist for all kinds of organisms, BirdNET for sound identification, Picture Bird, and the Audubon Bird Guide. Merlin suits anyone who wants to know which bird they are looking at or hearing.