Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab

What’s that bird? Just answer 5 questions, snap a photo, or record its song!

Identify Birds with Merlin Bird ID App

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab is a powerful Android app designed to help users identify birds through various methods, such as answering simple questions, uploading photos, or recording their songs. Powered by the eBird database and enhanced with machine learning from Visipedia, it provides expert tips, custom lists, and daily bird discoveries. With access to comprehensive bird packs and dedicated resources, this app supports education and citizen science initiatives in ornithology.
Download
Install from Google Play Store

App stats

Downloads: 6,292,252
42.63K
701 new ratings
Version: 3.5.2 (Last updated: 2025-02-04)
Version code: 936
Creation date: 2014-06-26
Permissions:
  • android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID
  • android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION
  • android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
  • android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
  • android.permission.ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION
  • android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
  • android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE
  • android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT
  • android.permission.BLUETOOTH_SCAN
  • android.permission.CHANGE_NETWORK_STATE
    • See more
Size: 364.62M
Full description: See detailed description

Ranking

# 17,715 ▲ 51
Other rankings
#18 in Books and reference (Free) ▲ 24 #1 in merlin keyword 14 #21 in identify keyword 15 ▼ 2

Other platforms

Not available on Chrome
Not available on Firefox
Not available on Edge

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Google Play Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Accurate sound identification of birds
  • User-friendly interface, especially for beginners
  • Integration with eBird for tracking sightings
  • Fun for families and casual birdwatchers
  • Excellent graphics and interactive features for sound identification
Cons
  • Complicated process for adding birds to life list
  • Issues with location services and offline usage
  • Frequent bugs and crashes, especially after updates
  • Unintuitive input system for logging sightings
  • Limitations in modifying recorded data after entry
Most mentioned
  • Sound identification quality
  • User interface issues
  • Problems with location access
  • Integration challenges with eBird
  • Need for offline functionality
User reviews
This app is not perfect but it's really fun and it has a really spot on identification for sounds. I have been able to visually verify that the sounds are In fact the bird they say it is. It's great for finding new bird types and just overall a fun and helpful app. I'm not even an avid birdwatcher but I do enjoy finding out what's around me making all those fun sounds!
by M. Kat, 2025-01-17
I use merlin and ebird. They recommend each other which is great. But i have to use merlin to take the picture which then directs me to apply it to ebird. Great! But why cant i take a picture with both and choose to save them to both? It wont save to life list any more since i added ebird......not very user friendly and getting kind of tired of back and forth back and forth. Im starting to put my fone bak down wen i realise wat i need to do to take a pic and saying its not worth it.
by Randy Kauffman, 2025-01-10
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