Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab Customer ServiceCornell University

Merlin Bird ID By Cornell Lab Customer Service

  1. Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab Customer Service
  2. Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab App Comments & Reviews (2024)
  3. Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab iPhone Images

What's that bird? Ask Merlin—the world’s leading app for birds. Just like magic, Merlin Bird ID will help you solve the mystery.

Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds you see and hear. Merlin is unlike any other bird app—it's powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos.

Merlin offers four fun ways to identify birds. Answer a few simple questions, upload a photo, record a singing bird, or explore birds in a region.

Whether you’re curious about a bird you’ve seen once or you’re hoping to identify every bird you can find, the answers are waiting for you with this free app from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE MERLIN
• Expert ID tips, range maps, photos, and sounds help you learn about the birds you spot and build birding skills.
• Customized lists of birds to find where you live or travel
• Merlin was created by bird experts for everyone.
• Merlin is global—look up any bird at any location.
• Keep track of your sightings—linked to eBird, a global database of more than 1 billion bird observations!


MACHINE LEARNING MAGIC
• Powered by Visipedia, Merlin Sound ID and Photo ID uses deep learning to identify birds in photos and sounds. Merlin learns to recognize bird species based on training sets of millions of photos and sounds collected by birders at eBird.org, archived in the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
• Merlin delivers the most accurate results thanks to experienced birders, who curate and annotate sightings, photos, and sounds, who are the true magic behind Merlin.

AMAZING CONTENT
• Choose bird packs that contain photos, songs, and calls, and identification help for anywhere in the world, including Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, and more.
• It’s available in your language. Merlin is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hebrew, German, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Marathi, Malayalam, Afrikaans, Arabic, Indonesian, Russian, Danish, Thai, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s goal is to help you and millions of others to learn about birds. Our nonprofit mission to improve the understanding and protection of birds and nature is made possible by the generosity of Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors.

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab App Comments & Reviews

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab Positive Reviews

Loads of funLet me begin by stating I never use the original function of describing the bird I see. If I can see it that we’ll, chances are I can identify it without Merlin. The same goes with the photo ID feature—if I can get close enough and get a good enough look , I can ID the bird as well as Merlin can. I have tested out the photo ID, and I believe it would be a useful tool for beginners. Be aware that it’s not perfect: it has just as hard a time distinguishing between sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks as I do. Where the app really shines is in the sound ID. At first I was a little skeptical. One of the first times I used it it thought that one bird was both a common raven and an American crow. Same thing with some gulls. It thought there was both a California and Herring gull. I eventually found one I could call a California, the Herring gull never materialized. It also thought there was a tundra swan, but upon reviewing the recording, there was nothing there, and definitely no swan within my sight. The more I have used it, however, the more confident I become in its ID power. Generally, if Merlin disagrees with what I thought the sound was, I’ll try to track it down and find it. And more often than not, I find what Merlin told me was there. But the most fun I have had with this app was watching a northern mockingbird singing while Merlin picked out thirteen different bird songs that one mockingbird had learned and incorporated into its repertoire..Version: 2.1.1

Great for a beginner like meI love birds and want to learn more about them. I have been hesitant to join birdwatchers as I’ve heard via birder email lists the experienced birders can be impatient and critical of newbies and also make it hard for newbies to join any groups. It’s like breaking into a click. That said, I felt I needed to learn before I even got started so I tried Merlin ID. I have used all 3 tools and find each one useful. I’m most excited about the sound ID though. This app is not perfect and you should question a match that seems questionable, like if it gives you a “rare” match. Do some research by listening to the call options to see if the match is authentic. This app also doesn’t recognize every bird. But, when there isn’t a match just submit the recording to Merlin so they can further improve the app. It is constantly improving and can only do that if we all help out. One day, I heard a bird but couldn’t see it. The sound tool identified the bird so then I knew what to look for and sure enough, I was able to visually identify said bird! I was super excited and encouraged. I also enjoy reading about each bird, the various photos and learning the different calls and songs. I’ve begun to share this with my daughter and grandkids when we take walks. My grandson lights up when he is able to see photos of the birds he is hearing and he’s only 2.5. Fun for the whole family!.Version: 3.0

Amazing tool, but a few minuscule issuesThis app is amazing. I use it every time I go bird watching, and it is far more efficient than most of the manuals I own. However, it is not without its minor faults. The first and most blaring is the fact that Isee many birds with many more than only 3 colors, and when I see birds with only 3 or less colors they might be different colors than I have the options I have to pick from! I understand that there are limitations that make it difficult, but the app would be that closer to perfect if you added more colors and the option to pick more than three colors. The other issue is that on a very slim chance I cant find the bird im looking for! This is for the most part my fault, but I think that sometimes it is because the bird isn’t on the list of birds registered on the app. It could also be because of the pictures of the birds do not include all or most variations of the bird I see, so I cannot confirm my sighting. If the roster of birds was filled up more, and there was more pictures, then all of those problems would be solved! It is such a great app with such great features and it almost never fails me. The only issues it has are so minor, or could be fixed in an update soon, that it makes them nearly irrelevant. Because of all of this the app is virtually perfect, and i recommend all bird watchers newbies and veterans alike to download this app..Version: 1.4.2

Great free app.This is a fun and easy to use bird ID app. Generally I know the birds in my area but I don’t know all their calls and some birds are similar. Once you’ve recorded and stop, you can click on the green arrows and there are examples of all their calls (though some alarm calls are missing). On a early spring morning when birds are chatty and finding mates, I’ve picked up 17 birds. However, I think two of them were really a Mockingbird imitating a Purple Martin and Kildeer on the shoreline and I hadn’t seen either. So, it’s good to listen to a Mockingbird’s own sounds and if a bird you haven’t seen comes up quickly with the Mockingbird, it may not be Merlin’s fault. It did pick up the sound of my door opening as a Loon but we don’t have any. When signing up, when you choose the pack it’s good to choose your area so there are less mistakes. The photo ID works pretty well so far. When you explore birds in the app, some birds say rare that really aren’t, e.g. Mergansers have become common in the winters here mostly in brackish waters. It’s possible that it might mix up juvenile hawks that all have white breasts with brown drippy markings. You can go to Cornell Lab’s website and learn how to recognize their differences, the length of their tail feathers being one way. It’s helpful and fun and surprisingly picks up bird sounds even when there’s traffic noise..Version: 2.1.8

Amazing App for easy Bird IDThis app is wonderful! I knew next to nothing about birds until a Eastern Goldfinch landed in my bird bath one day spurring interest into exactly what the name of this beautiful bird was. I searched inline but characteristics I described didn’t help me find what I was looking for so I checked in the App Store for a bird identification app finding many games but only a couple of identification apps I downloaded 3 but found this to be the best for me. Since then I have become an avid bird watcher! The app is easy to use even for me. I was disabled by a drunk driver in 05’ & fed up with tv so great to find a hobby I can enjoy outdoors. Even my parents joined in & my daddy after suffering a head injury himself in 2011 took up the hobby along with wood working. Together we would make feeders & houses to help attract more birds. He would build & I would paint different types of houses I researched on the website to help attract birds of all types. Unfortunately We lost him to cancer in February of this year (2018) but the time we spent birding together these past 7 years is something I’ll always hold near & dear to my heart. Thanks so much to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Birds in the Hand, & the developers of the Merlin Bird ID for providing us with this wonderful app that has given me some very sweet memories & a wonderful hobby..Version: 1.3.9

Best free birding appThis app got me started with birding. Last spring, I downloaded it to start identifying the common birds around me like American Robins, European Starlings, Common Grackles, and Northern Mockingbirds. Soon, I moved from merely identifying birds to counting them also, and soon after, I started recording full checklists with the EBird app (I think also a product of the Cornell School of Ornithology?), which is the best solution for those who wish this app would record their sightings. Now, less than a year later, I have 150 species on my list and have found a new lifelong hobby that I expect to bring me joy for decades to come. It’s all thanks to Merlin! Though I eventually found that a high quality illustrated field guide (I use Sibleys in the US and Collins in Europe) is more useful than any app, I still reference Merlin for sounds or any time I don’t have my guide on me. I was very excited when Merlin came out with bird packs for Europe right before I traveled to Greece this past fall, and I look forward to seeing more bird packs coming out for other parts of the world as time goes on. It’s fun to scroll through the foreign packs and dream about traveling to new places and seeing those birds. I’d glad that when I do go, I’ll have Merlin with me to help identify them!.Version: 1.3.7

Algorithm problemIt has come to my attention that the algorithm used to show likely birds in a region is flawed. The algorithm occasionally causes rare birds to appear common at certain hotspots. My guess to how this happens is likely due to the birding community discovering a rare bird and sharing that info with their community. Then people from all over show up and enter the bird into eBird. This causes a large number of people to report the same single bird. As a result the algorithm will occasionally tell you birds like a scissor-tailed flycatcher is common at Arcadia Marsh, MI. When as far as I can tell it was only seen on one day by many people. Or it could tell you that a lazuli bunting or a painted bunting are common at Whitefish Point, MI when in fact there are very few historic reporting a of either of those birds statewide. An improvement could be made by changing the algorithm to factor in the number of birds reported per checklist for example (10 trumpeter swans) along with the number of days the bird has been seen over a period of time. This would prevent anomalous inaccurate results for a single bird that was seen up to hundreds of times on only 1 day. Aside from that the app is excellent at what it was made to do. As a predictive tool of what birds you may find in a given region, extra research is required to double check Merlin’s findings..Version: 1.7.4

Nothing Short of AmazingThe speed and sensitivity of the Sound ID function is startling. It appears to be able to process several birds at nearly the same time. I can’t speak to it’s accuracy yet, because I haven’t had that many opportunities to visually confirm the sound IDs. But even if accuracy is only ok (and I suspect it’s much, much better than that), the app has already been invaluable to me as a novice birder. It has sped up my learning tremendously. Hearing the actual call as the app gives the bird’s name, and then seeing pictures of that type of bird on the app - this is exactly what I need to build those associations in my memory. And then being able to read a bit about it’s behavior and listen to the variety of its calls and songs provides context, and hones in on consistencies and variations of that bird’s call. Watching the app sort out the calls of over half a dozen birds as they call and respond in the morning, again and again, is really helping me learn how to tell them apart and name them. I’ve taken two birding classes and I use two different field guides, but none of those have helped me learn birds as much as this app. This is exactly what I needed!.Version: 2.1.1

Best resource for the novice birder.I’ve had this app for a few years now and just wanted to test it out. It’s probably not very helpful that I’m just now getting around to it. I was initially pretty disappointed at first because the number of species specific to Alaska was fairly limited. It took a little time, but they rolled out regional specific bird packs. It just blew up from there and became my go-to app for identifying birds. The photo ID feature is pretty great, but limited only by the quality of my phone camera. It’s usually pretty accurate though. I’ve just gotten way more interested in birds I really didn’t pay attention to before! The app is great and if you enjoy birds of all sizes in your area, chances are this app will be instrumental in identifying them. I think I use it more than any other app I have. Oh yeah, I also really love the bird sounds feature. This is also very useful when you can’t necessarily see the bird, but you might have a close idea of what it could be. Do check it out, this is well put together app overall. I wonder if they’ll have a feature where you could identify simply by recording a song or a call? I’m excited for any new developments in the future!.Version: 1.4.2

Great, but could be smoother and quicker for sound identificationThis app has helped me learn and pay attention to sound qualities I didn’t used to discern, vastly increasing the accuracy of my birding by ear. My most frequent frustration is when I lose the chance to record an infrequent sound, because it can take so many clicks and scrolls to get to the Start new recording activator. I wish as soon as I open the screen, no matter whether I last looked at data for a bird with twenty song and call variations, or if there was no match, or if there were 8 species heard, that I could see and touch the Record function in one step. Instead, the passing bird is gone out of range too often, or stopped calling or singing. My second frustration is that there’s no quick way (at least that I have found) to delete a recording in which the target wasn’t registered. I wish there was a Delete last recording button right on the screen with the No match report, and also on ones where a plane or truck noise took over the recording. All that said, I often recommend this app to birders who haven’t tried it yet. Thanks.Version: 2.1.5

Download for Loads of Birding Fun!I started this app about a week and a half ago, and I’m loving it! I can identify any singing bird, and almost any picture of a bird! It identifies your description of a bird, too! You can also search for birds in your area, and play the calls. I’ve been able to play White Breasted Nuthatch, Cardinal, Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch, and Ruby-Throated Hummingbird sounds, and all with a reaction! The biggest reaction I got from a bird was a hummingbird, that was my first time playing the sounds. After a few times, she flew 2 feet away from my face! She looked really stunned, wondering what was going on. After a few seconds, she flew back to her perch in a tree and answered my call all the times after that. Just two problems. 1: When I was having fun with the app and trying to get a Mourning dove, no matter what I tried it wouldn’t give me it. 2: Sometimes there are sound bugs, which I completely understand. One time there was a sound in my house and it thought it was a Brown-Headed Cowbird. Anyway, I think I just heard a hummingbird’s mating call! Better go see them, Bye! Also, download this app for 100% guaranteed bird identification!.Version: 2.1.2

Still My Go-To!Merlin has always been the first ID app I open and the sound ID is absolutely indispensable. While I’m now able to bird by ear, I like the extra help with uncommon migrants that pop in for a few days each year. It’s also nice to have Merlin back up my IDs on lifers or when I submit rarities. With that said, it’s not infallible so some common sense needs to be used: if it’s telling you you’re hearing a bird that’s wildly out of range, it’s probably wrong. I don’t trust it unless it IDs the same species in two different recordings. But I absolutely recommend this app to birders off all skill levels. [Previous Review circa 2015] I've been using Merlin for almost a year and I love it. It has almost never failed to give me the correct ID. I have some of the expensive birding apps and Merlin outshines them. The search returns the birds that are most likely based on eBird data, so you don't get hypothetical birds that you'll never see. I really appreciate the fact that Merlin recognizes both male and female field marks because so many apps focus only on the male. I highly recommend this app to anyone who needs to ID birds--beginner or expert..Version: 2.1.7

I really like this appI am a beginning bird watcher since moving to the country and it’s helped me to identify species that I just don’t see in the city, like the acorn woodpecker, the California scrub jay and even the turkey vulture. The only disadvantage is that one must be very specific about where the birds are seen. If you have a birdbath and you put in “swimming or bathing “ the search will yield mostly aquatic species and you probably won’t find what you are looking for. Best to put in “on a tree or fence “ unless you are at a lake or something, and you know that it’s an aquatic species. Just FYI. Use the companion app eBird to report and record your results. It’s got a link to Merlin so you can search as you’re out birding or just on a hike somewhere. Birds are so cute even though they can be dicks like raiding other birds nests and stuff (something I’ve seen and it’s quite upsetting). But it’s nature! It’s not really kind. I don’t see nearly as many starlings as I did in the city which is gratifying. In case y’all don’t know they’re an invasive species that should be removed with extreme prejudice wherever they are found in America. Anyway, thanks for putting the app out to the general public! Love it!.Version: 1.8.2

Outstanding app very easy to use, intuitive! Thank you Cornell!This is an outstanding app! I rank this app #1 for information, ease-of-use, intuitiveness, fun! When I see a new bird, I can quickly identify it by typing just it’s color before it flies away! I’ve identify birds, my there song. The app is so sensitive. I didn’t even realize how many other birds were in the area and it told me their names too. Then, I can play their song back to them because there are hundreds of pre-recorded songs available on the app. If I want to test my knowledge up, Orthology, I can listen to songs and try again if I the birds myself. Due to the rise of rocks and predatory birds in my area, the app helps me to log the birds are in my backyard. I was using Cornell’s website then they switched to this app. Since developing the app, they’re having constant improvement. Thank you Cornell. I’ve had many many surgeries due to two car accidents. Watching my birds brings me such joy. This app makes it even better. I donate monthly to Cornell to save the birds and contribute to their research..Version: 2.1.5

Sound ID is a powerful tool, unfortunately it sometimes crashesAs other reviewers have said, the sound ID function is quite amazing and justifies using this otherwise mediocre birding app. Merlin can easily identify a dozen different species all singing in a dawn chorus, occasionally identifying a bird that I didn’t even hear myself. For example, the other morning Merlin identified a brown thrasher, which surprised me because I had neither seen nor heard any, but by tapping the bird’s name on the playback screen, Merlin played back the part of the recording that had the thrasher singing, and I was able to confirm for myself that it was a correct identification by then playing the pre-recorded calls in Merlin’s library (I’ve never had Merlin mis-identify a bird call, but I still listen to double check when I’m not sure) My only complaint is that the app inexplicably and unpredictably locks up, apparently in some kind of infinite loop because my phone will overheat when this happens, and it’s difficult to get the task manager up to terminate Merlin. Restarting the app always fixes the problem, and it only happens occasionally, but nonetheless I’m docking 1 star until this is fixed..Version: 2.1.8

ThomMy big concern is that the location using gps? I get around Maryland. My back yard over 25 years ago was enrolled in a Maryland wild acres program. I have 2/3 of an acre and an even wilder area that is a right of way for a utility easement. My wife and I gardened for wildlife and we more into encouraging birds and animals than a groomed lawn. All kinds of birds come here. We have a hawk always around and a couple of owls that seem to like our hundred d foot white pines! Anyhow, the GPS ID puzzle me as often it is way off. While trying to use the id description I was trying to report a common house finch and first the location was put up as somewhere in Kansas. When I reset it it picked Silver Lake in Florida. I am very puzzled about what I do to defeat the GPS. Eventually I got it straight but if I did not pay attention to location I would be all over the place!! By the way, I mostly have very common birds on our yard, but yesterday was awesome as we had a light snow. About 3 inches and the robins came back in large numbers. They were in a pin oak and would fly to our dawn redwood and then to our privet stand loaded with berries! They and the hordes of starlings were loving life. What an all day event..Version: 3.0.5

Useful with a major flawThe app is overall quite useful for identifying birds and the audio references are great. What needs to change is your ability to add birds to your life list. There are times when I spot a bird, and I already know what bird it is, and I get excited to add it to my life list which is a great feature to have, but I *can’t*, which is super frustrating. You *have* to use the bird identifier to add a bird to your list, and there are times when I can’t for the life of me figure out what combination of answers I’m supposed to give the identifier to get it to suggest the bird I’ve already identified, so I just can’t add it. Then I search by name and there’s my bird, but no way to report my sighting. How crazy is that? Today it was a group of 6 cedar waxwings in the tree outside my window. I tried every combination of brown, gray, white, and even yellow and black with sizes of robin sized between a robin and a sparrow, and I never could get it to suggest waxwing, so it will not go on my list. This has happened multiple times now and at this point I’m going to give up on my life list because it defeats the purpose to not be able to track all my sightings..Version: 2.0.3

One flawGreat app. Really cool. Very helpful in identifying birds, but they don’t give all the options when you do “Start Bird Id.” For example, I saw a chukar on a mountain that is sort of in the middle of a city. They’re not super common there but they’re definitely there and so when I went through the identification process that wasn’t an option to choose from in the end. The only way to identify the bird in that specific location was to pick a location that I know where they are in abundance and then once I find it and click “This is my bird” then I change the location to where I actually saw it. This works fine in this instance because I’m familiar with the bird and it’s usual habitat but the next rare bird I find may not be listed and if I’m not familiar with it then I’ll never know what it was. My recommendation is to allow all birds in the pack that fit the descriptions show up on the list. Or at least make it a possible setting. If there is already a setting that can do that then someone please let me know. I know you can change that setting on the “Explore Birds” tab so why not make it a possibility on the “Start Bird Id” tab?.Version: 2.1.2

Always peaceful and calming to use this appMerlin bird id has not only helped me identify birds but has also helped me bring comfort and calmness to my mornings without me even intending to. I downloaded this out of sheer boredom and I now have such gratitude and admiration for all that worked to create this app and help others easily learn about birds. I feel more connected with nature now that I’m able to hear a bird and know exactly what it is. I know this review seems a little much but for a long time I had no interest in doing anything and this along with some other things was the start to my appreciation of the earth and nature which has seriously helped bring me out of a deep darkness and I sincerely thank the creators of this app. I hope that children will use this and be educated with the importance of birds and how they improve our ecosystem so that maybe they won’t be as destructive as we are now. I believe the ignorance of the role wildlife and how it benefits us contributes a lot to its destruction. Anyways have a good day and thank you for reading :).Version: 2.0.2

Simply the best app everI have never found an app that is this useful in my life! My only complaint is that I now have a half dozen bird books that have been rendered superfluous. I especially like the sound ID feature, which obviously is not a possibility with books. Thus far I have found it to be accurate and strong enough to pick up even distant calls. Another great feature is the list of likely birds based on date and location. One question I have regarding the bird packs: Why is the Midwest pack nearly five times as data intensive as the pack for the entire US? I’m only now beginning to compile my life list, and this feature too looks to be very useful. I’m a baby boomer who was a late adopter of cell technology, and I must admit, this app convinces me of the potential value. I recently identified a song I’d been hearing for years, a black-capped chickadee. I was long familiar with most of its sounds, but I never knew that the mournful, two note descending song was also part of its repertoire! Terrific, thanks so much..Version: 2.1.1

Wish this and Audubon would mixFor the most part I like this app (though I’m not a fan of the new update that makes it so you can’t search all birds, but only by areas), but I wish it and the Audubon app would combine to have the best of both. Merlin has picture and sound ID, which is great. Audubon makes it easy to see if there have been any reported sightings in your area of a specific bird or just the general sightings. With Audubon you can also search birds easier and add one if you already know what it is, where Merlin makes that difficult. Just this morning, I saw a blue jay (which aren’t really supposed to be in my area, but have been for the last few years) and Merlin wouldn’t give it as a possibility (only giving stellers jays which are actually supposed to be here) but I couldn’t mark it as seen in this app because it wouldn’t give me blue jay as a possible bird, and I couldn’t just add it like in Audubon. You also can’t edit your sightings in this app, so make sure you get your date, location and bird right or it’ll be stuck incorrect in your sightings forever..Version: 2.1.8

Fails on me frequently, otherwise would be greatI’m shocked this app still has 5 stars overall. I’ve used Merlin Bird ID for years and it really simplified the identification process. When I first started using it there was only a limited database and it was still being expanded so I was very forgiving when I bumped into its limitations. At this point though, I just get annoyed and mad that I can’t ID the birds I’m spotting. The app doesn’t let you ID birds it doesn’t believe are in your area, and it also doesn’t let you manually ID birds by name in the event the search doesn’t bring up your bird. For example, in Southern California I had a Red Shouldered Hawk in my neighborhood for several weeks. I thought it was very strange because they’re not normally in the area and I double, triple and quadruple checked the bird with various apps and field references listening to his call and markings to make sure it wasn’t the standard Red-Tailed Hawk. I wanted to ID the bird in Merlin to help the database and other birders but the app wouldn’t let me. Once again, this time in Maine, I’m staring at an Indigo Bunting (rare) eating at a feeder. Even with the regional packs downloaded Merlin won’t let me ID the bird. Very disappointing..Version: 1.6.1

Great app!The app has definitely improved over the years. As with any app like this, it is important to confirm by listening to what was recorded and comparing to matches while also excluding other noises. My one wish for this app is that there would be an option to save or discard or something like that once you hit stop recording. If you amass a lot of recordings, it takes up a lot of space and you have to scroll to the bottom of the list to delete, since every recording is saved. Along the same theme - it would be awesome to identify some common non-bird species that sound like birds. It would also be great to be able to save specific clips in the app without having to export and edit. Being able to create one’s own library from identified bird clips would be awesome. Although I can appreciate that the app is more about identification, these features would improve the user experience. Great app! Looking forward to seeing how it develops in the future! Thank you!.Version: 3.0

Love it!!!🦅🕊🦉🐦This app is really cool, and I think it will be helpful! I haven’t really gotten a chance to try it out much but I live in Iowa and I am going on a camping trip near the Canadian border in Minnesota soon and can’t wait to try it out. I’ve been browsing through the stuff and testing the app out, like trying to get the app to think of European starling, And a while ago I think I saw a great egret but I wasn’t exactly sure, I tried to look on here but it wasn’t able to show me it might have been how I was trying to identify it and where I put the marker I don’t exactly know where saw it. Something I would like to see added to the app is skipping a category, like the location or the date because sometimes you don’t exactly know when you saw the bird, or where it was, just an option to skip would be nice. otherwise I absolutely love this app! I like how you can listen to the birds sounds, and just browse through bird categories! Another fun option to the app would be to interact with other burgers and share what you have seen!🦆! I will definitely be recommending it to my bird friends! thanks!!!😁.Version: 1.4.1

This app is amazingI’m a backyard birdwatcher. I grew up learning about birds in our backyard that my father invited with his faithful provision of feeders for the duration of his lifetime. I’ve done the same over my decades of adulthood, but until I started using this app I never realized how many birds were around me all along but not necessarily showing up at feeders. By using this app, my backyard has been revealed as vibrantly alive, rich in a multitude of nature’s beauty that I never imagined. By using the Sound ID feature and decent-enough binoculars, I’ve identified birds I’d never seen before and have come to learn the songs and calls of some birds that alerts me to their presence even if they are not within my sight. Recently the app has identified the presence of cedar waxwing, which I still have never put eyes on and I’m excited to see if I can make the visual match if they continue to be identified at my yard. I feel so much more connected to nature from using this app, which is addictive in a wonderful and fulfilling way!.Version: 3.0.2

Adore it but some problemsI have been using Merlin since I started birding a couple years ago and I absolutely love it! My only complaint is that after one of the updates some of the bird profiles are not showing up for me. By that I mean when I click on it the bird the app refuses to show me the pictures that go along for ID so when I want to ID a bird that I know is a warbler in fall plumage I don’t have a reference and it can be really frustrating. Apart from that I love the set up and bird packs. One suggestion I might have for the bird ID is to maybe give an option to specify if you knew it was a waterfowl or not because or something along those lines because guesstimating what will make the app understand you can be a bit difficult especially when you see the bird from a distance. And lastly just a funny story I guess. I was in my back yard using the sound ID and it claimed there was a trumpeter swan in my area (which let me tell you there are not) I go back to play the recording and lo and behold the app interpreted a car horn as a trumpeter swan 😂..Version: 2.1.2

Great App, Small FlawMerlin is such a great app, and really fun to use and look for birds. It’s a great beginner app if you’re just starting out birding, but good for more experienced people too. The pictures are almost always extremely helpful, as are the maps, descriptions, and sounds. I haven’t tried photo or sound ID yet since I don’t have a good camera and usually don’t have the availability to record birds, but if I ever do I’m excited to try them. My only complaint is that when I want to add a bird to my life list, I have to go through Bird ID and have the bird I’ve identified as my bird appear as an option in order to select it. Usually this works fine, but often the bird I want to add doesn’t appear on the list, even if I fiddle with my selections. I can sign onto eBird and add it to my life list there, which will appear in the app and is fine, but as I’m more of an amateur birder I don’t find it necessary to have that much detail and it’s a pain to do. It would be helpful to have a place in the Merlin app to add to your life list without having to go through Bird ID..Version: 2.0.1

Easily learn about birds!The magic of Merlin is how it quickly narrows down the most likely bird. Great for beginners. 5 basic multiple choice questions (where, when, size, main colors, and what was the bird doing) will give a short list of birds that almost always has the bird in front of you. Or use photo id if you are close enough to get a good picture. Sound id can identify multiple birds simultaneously and then you can listen to recordings of each to learn what song goes with which bird. Great pictures, descriptions, multiple sound recordings of each species and maps make it easy to learn all about each bird. All this info does make the bird pack file sizes rather large, but start with at least your regional bird pack and you will see how great it is. Add bird packs of other regions if you are traveling there. This app can quickly and easily open you up to the world of birds around you and get you smiling about adding another bird to your life list of all the birds you have identified..Version: 2.1.5

Excellent appThis app works very well, and has helped me learn bird calls. The ability to easily look at various pictures of one species helps a lot too, many ID books are lacking in providing images of basic/alternate plumage, male/female/juvenal birds, and various levels of feather wear, but this app usually has plenty of pictures to find examples of most conditions in which you would commonly find a bird. On issue I have is that the MacOS version window cannot be adjusted for size, I would really like to be able to extend the window vertically to be able to see more birds at once, this would greatly improve the app for a sort of passive learning of bird calls, and a feature where you couuld put several species into a quiz to allow yourself to try and improve identification between several tricky similar birds would be extremely helpful (I would gladly fork over 5-10$ for such a feature) for ID. The interfacing with EBird is also a really awesome feature..Version: 3.0

Take it with a grain of saltOverall great app. Being able to see your life list with actual birds is incredible! However, there are some fatal flaws. For one, the filters for the likelihood of species is bar chart correlated and not expert review, so it often displays strange and outright incorrect results. Secondly, and more importantly, is that it’s creating new birders that rely too heavily on the sound and photo ID features. The old method of hearing a bird and then finding it enough times until you recognize it just by ear has become obsolete. This is ok if Merlin was more accurate than a typical birder but it absolutely is not. I’ve tested merlin in mountain terrain and it has gotten about 90% correct species… and then it said water rail… on a glacier… in Montana. Additionally, it is terrible at picking up more distant or obscure calls. Thus it either doesn’t give you a result or a flawed one. So take all results with an incredibly large grain of salt. I tend to shoo people away from this feature even if that comes at the cost of a few less lifers on their end. For me, it’s the quality of scientific data that trumps all..Version: 2.1.5

Sound ID has been amazingI kinda rolled my eyes when this feature was added, expecting it to be wildly inaccurate. This has not been the case. I’m blown away by how well it’s worked. I’ve been able, on several occasions, to actually call birds in using the provided, documented recordings to get a better look and confirm the ID. I would give this a 4.5 if possible. My only complaint is something I believe can and will be fixed in the future. When using sound ID, after the app has offered a suggestion, it would be great if you could tap on and link directly to that bird for specific identification. Right now, you basically have to back out and start the traditional ID process from scratch when you already know what bird you’re looking at. On occasion, you’re not lead to the bird you are already certain you’ve seen and heard. A quick link between the sound ID and the actual individual species page where you can confirm “this is my bird!” would be an amazing improvement. In general, thank you for an amazing app!.Version: 2.0.1

Wholesome fun!Let's be honest, I don't do reviews unless something is that awful or that great! Luckily it's the latter! Incredibly functional (and fun) features! Moved into the mountains and put up a window feeder. When I started seeing some cool looking birds I looked them up on Google, quickly found the app to ID them and I was sold! It's amazing at giving you the correct bird result. And don't even get me started on the sound ID! Omg we heard the weirdest freaking sound one night, I opened it up.. Instantly popped up whip-poor-will! And the sound ID is also an incredibly satisfying tool when you're somewhere where several kinds of birds are. My 2 year old begs me to open it so she can see the picture of the bird when it catches it's calls and it lights up with 5-7 different ones! And for the technically interested it will pinpoint which bird is making which call! I'm not a bird watcher.. just a nature lover and I have a whole new appreciation and curiosity for birds!.Version: 2.1.6

Pretty good overallIt’s pretty good! Very helpful, but could be better. I shouldn’t have to drag the map every time I want to enter a bird I see in my backyard. It should default to my home or have a list of locations we can save and choose from instead of having random “this is where we think you saw it” on a map that is nowhere near my location. I’ve already saved my home as a place so why can’t it default? Weird. There should also be a function for me to enter the bird I see instead of going through all the IDing steps, it gets tedious and I can only imagine with the backyard bird count how less than pleasant tracking everything in the app will be. I’m happy to do so, but I feel like it’ll take a lot longer than necessary. We all know what juncos and scrub jays look like, we should be able to enter the birds we’re familiar with without ten steps of questions first. But! Glad this app exists, I’m by no means a bird expert, just a backyard bird enthusiast. Just wish it was a little more streamlined..Version: 2.1.5

Woohoo!! This app is great!!I’m as new a birder as one can be, so it’s been...overwhelming, to say the least! I moved onto the farm where I work and have 27acres backing a river to trudge through. I have seen so many birds I’ve never seen before and thanks to this app, I can easily and accurately (I can only assume, since I obviously don’t know, but the pictures they show with their guesses are always numerous and clear, I’m quickly able to tell if that’s the bird I saw or not). The more I learn, the more I’m beaming with excitement and I have to thank this app and the creators for giving me that ability to connect the dots, even as a hobbyist who doesn’t have access to all the information. The app is clean, easy to use and understand, jam-packed with maps and gps and photos and information. You can look up any bird in multiple ways, from the bird or the region. I’m sure there’s more I’m missing, because, again, NEWB, but so far this app is everything and more!!.Version: 1.8.2

Great for North America, a bust for AustraliaThe only thing I use Merlin for is sound recognition. It's almost miraculous how accurate it's been for me in North America, even for birds at a considerable distance. On a 10-week stay in eastern Australia, I downloaded the southeastern Australia package, which isn't trivial in size at >400MB. To my dismay, it didn't identify a single birdsong there, not even what turned out to be common species singing very close to where I was standing. Apparently the Merlin Australian packages are all about identifying birds by appearance, but in the dense forests and shrublands there, birds are far more often heard than seen. When I can see birds, I don't want to be looking at my phone scrolling through the choices. I take a photo or memorize as many details as I can and then use the excellent Australian Bird Guide (Menkhorst et al., 2023) book when I get back to my vehicle. The failure to identify any birdsongs was a disappointment. Without bird sound recognition I had no use for the Merlin southeastern Australian package and deleted it..Version: 3.0.5

Sound Id is great, prompts for email are badI’ll start with what I love. The Sound ID is fantastic!! Through that feature alone I’ve ID’d many birds in my yard I didn’t know I had. It highlights the bird, plus back the sound it heard to ID it, and saves the recordings to listen back to which helps me learn the sounds. Now the part I don’t like is very annoying. I’ve been using this app for over a year and it keeps telling me my free trial has expired and I need to verify my email. I’ve done that, and I can even log onto my online Merlin account. But for some reason the app keeps popping up with this. I have figured out a couple work arounds but they don’t always work. First, I click the feature I want (sound ID) as soon as the app opens. If I wait even 3 seconds it won’t work. Second is if it pops up with the prompt I close the app and restart it. That is less likely to work but has worked about half the time. I would like to see a fix for this issue in an update. Love the features but stinks if you can’t even get to them for the prompt..Version: 2.1.8

Great for ID help for newbies, but struggles with tough IDsThis app is a great resource and I use it every time I go birding. The ID Info section does away with extraneous details and gives a succinct summary of field marks, which is great when trying to ID on the fly. The numerous pictures for every bird -usually in all plumages and from many angles - are also so helpful. However, I find myself usually just using the explore birds feature rather than the ID program because I find it more effective to manually narrow down my options. Because the criteria are so limited it often leaves out birds it should not or if you are incorrect about one detail this can throw off the whole search. It also only suggests common species in your area, which is frustrating because it is the uncommon birds I need help identifying. If you are just starting out birding or are birding in an unfamiliar area this app is a must have, but even moderately skilled birders can outperform the app’s ability to come up with potential ID answers..Version: 2.0.2

Great app w/ a couple bugsDifferent people have recommended this app to me, and I’m glad I finally got it! I’ve been learning about local birds for years now; the app is pretty easy to navigate, but I’m not sure how it would feel if I was brand new to birding. My favorite part has been adding birds to my life list and having access to many different bird calls. If you want to be able to identify birds by their sounds, this is a great place to start. My only frustration has been that it doesn’t always suggest the bird that you’re looking for after putting in the criteria. I sometimes have to go back and adjust the size of the bird or where I saw it in order for it to come up. This has happened mostly with scrub jays and acorn woodpeckers. I’m also not sure why it won’t let me add condors to my list. I’ve seen them several times soaring over southern California mountains but the app doesn’t generate the bird when I put in the criteria. Overall, I’ve definitely enjoyed using the app!.Version: 2.1.5

Very useful app. Can be improved.I’ve been using this app for a couple of years and have really enjoyed identifying birds in my backyard. The good: The picture ID function works quite well, IF you can get a decent picture of the bird. Snapping a photo from far away and then zooming in with a photo app usually does not suffice. The recent addition of the sound ID is phenomenal! I can sit in my patio, start the recording and find all the birds making music. I recently recorded a summer tanager, a bird I’ve yet to see but know they’re around. Saving birds to the bird for Life list is a convenient and easy way to save what birds I’ve observed. My list is small compared to experienced birders but I find this is a fun way to save my experiences. The could be better parts In the Exploring birds section, I can type in the name and find my bird. I just did this with a Baltimore Oriole which I hadn’t seen at my feeders until now. Unfortunate, from this part of the app, I cannot save to my Life List! Very frustrating! Even more frustrating is the bird ID section would not bring up the Baltimore Oriole at all! If it had, I could add to my life list but unfortunately, this section of the app fails often. I changed the parameters in many different ways but to no avail. I’m not quite sure why the app won’t bring up the Baltimore Oriole since this is a very distinct black and Orange bird. No doubt about. Fixing these two issues would up the rating to a solid 5..Version: 2.1.8

Magnificent Tool!!I have a strong background in bird ID. I’m not exactly sure when in my youth that came about, but as a middle-aged fella, I got the urge to take a more systematic approach to bird ID. For example, my wife and I were walking back to the car after witnessing the Northern migration off the Washington coast when I saw a bird in a tree chattering at us. I looked at it through my binos, puzzled for a moment, and then said to my wife, “It’s not a black bird.” After a bit more puzzling, I said, “I think it’s a cow bird.” Did I have any clue what a cow bird was? Nope! Could I have described it to you? Nope! But somewhere in my earlier years (beyond memory) I became familiar w/ cow birds. Huh? Well, then I pulled up this fabulous app, found the cow bird and starting playing calls until I cam to one that was identical to the one that the bird above me was chattering on repeat. Cool experience w/ the app and w/ delving into some unknown recess of bird knowledge I never knew I had..Version: 2.1.5

Very pleased!I’m happy with the accuracy of the sound recording identification. I watch birds daily that visit my bird feeders and perch in the shrubs/trees I planted for them. It’s my meditation time to sit outside and watch the name of the bird highlighted I’m hearing while watching them. Perfect for familiarizing yourself with different bird sounds. The accuracy is insane close by 98% accuracy over 10 hours of time personally doing a trial myself. Studies show therapeutic results lifting depression 8 hours after hearing bird calls. For fun you can end the recording and it shows and drop down of all the recordings of sounds each bird can sing. You can play back each one. Today I played the blue jays different songs on my phone and the blue jays outside joined in a chorus. My moms face lit up with a smile and the joy of birds signing along when I showed her. Get this app now it’s worth every relaxing and joyful moment spent using it. Cheers!.Version: 3.0

Magical app, but still needs one CRITICAL featureThis app is extremely easy to use and accurate for identifying birds based on both sighting characteristics and photos. The photo identification feature nearly aligns with Arthur C Clarke’s third law, that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and hence the app name of Merlin is extremely appropriate. HOWEVER, it does not allow you save your bird history, DESPITE the app explicitly stating that your sighting “response has been recorded to improve Merlin’s accuracy.” Such an oversight is nearly inexcusable, as it requires you to save your own screenshots or enter the info in a separate document or in eBird (for which both the interface and ease-of-use are greatly inferior to and clumsier than those of Merlin). I am practically begging the developers to add a bird history/tracking function to this app ASAP (as they have claimed to have been working on for at least the last six months), as I would be more than willing to pay for such functionality and the app would no doubt merit the full five out five stars..Version: 1.3.8

Best Use of my TimeWhen the world is boiling, I go outside and listen to my neighbors greet the day. I’ve lived next to this river for over 6 years so I’m familiar with certain songs and calls, but didn’t know who they belong to. Now I can record the sound in real time and start to identify who’s who in my bird world. And of course during migratory seasons, I can hear a new song and quickly identify the traveler. And the spectrograms (visual representation of the sound frequencies) offer another layer to get to know the birds’ songs. Play special attention to the triple decker Swainson’s Thrush song if you are ever blessed to hear them and you can SEE the complexity of their song. You have to click share and then export spectrogram to see this. Bonus points for this app working without service too! All my backpacking buddies were stunned that I was identifying our feathered friends past 5,000 feet..Version: 3.0

THE App for BirdersI love Merlin. As a former beginner birder, it was and still is an excellent tool. The sound ID is helpful for double checking ID’s and sometimes alerting me to what is in the area, but out of sight. If there was one thing I could change about the app (to which my birder friends have also complained about), it would be to allow manual markings on birds sighted without going through the ID. For data collection purposes, I can understand the need to be thorough, but personal merlin sightings do not go towards ebird data to begin with. I’d really like the ability to just check off a bird - especially because I was manually keeping track of my list before Merlin. There are many basic birds I would like to add, but I am far from remembering where or when I saw them. (Such as the coot, western bluebird, summer tanager, ect.) A simple list to add or remove sightings would be phenomenal. Otherwise, 5/5 app, I cannot recommend it more to new and veteran birders alike..Version: 3.0

Vastly Improved - A Splendid Tool for Aging EarsI use Merlin Audio ID as a field tool nearly every outing. Having accrued 70 years, my ears are not as sharp and are particularly when there is background noise. My MO is to activate Merlin recording when I arrive at a site. I give Merlin a minute to listen when I and other city/car noise are minimized. Then I have a look what Merlin believes he has heard. Often he will catch a fragment or a high pitch I might have missed. Sometimes he is confused by the confluence of five or more species simultaneously occurring but more recently he has become more effective in unraveling these perhaps by voice map recognition which can isolate a single image from a melange. Admittedly, Merlin makes mistakes but the red dot warning alerts remind us to double-check. On the other hand, Merlin is also helpful when he identifies a rare bird which is in the “packs” you have downloaded but a species you have never heard (or seen before) helping you find an unexpected RARITY, or a LIFER! Another scenario is a common bird that is present but ignored because it is common but is, in fact, rare on the early or late date you are seeing it. Merlin IDs it and when you make your observation report their is the Robin or House Sparrow you hadn’t noticed but Merlin documented! MERLIN AUDIO IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE PHOTO ID and I CONTRIBUTE TO eBIRD REGULARLY TO SUPPORT “MERLIN AUDIO”.Version: 3.0.3

Brings me so much joyThis app enriches my life is such a huge way. It has made birding feel very accessible and fun/easy to learn. A little less than a year ago, I started using Merlin knowing next to nothing about birds on the recommendation of a friend. I’m now using it daily and able to identify so many birds on my own, which I learned thanks to the incredible sound and picture ID available on here. Birding really helps me to be present and enjoy my surroundings while getting a ton of exercise, and I would definitely not be this into birding had it not been for Merlin. I have an evening routine using Merlin and sister app eBird, where I play a little game of seeing how many birds I can identify on my big neighborhood walk. As a UX nerd I’ll also say the UX design is incredible - the app is so intuitive, easy to use, and minimalistic in a way that reduces distractions while you’re enjoying the outdoors..Version: 3.0

Amazing Features - Hours of FunThis app has brought so much joy to my life as a beginning birder. It is so well designed. The Sound ID is one of my favorite features, as is the ability to see Likely Birds, which I can customize according to time and location. I love being able to see what birds are my in area and watching that change day to day and week to week. I can also see what birds I might see when I travel, and can plug in my travel dates for better accuracy. I am truly grateful for this app. The one area of identification I currently struggle with is hawks. I have found some great resources online that have been helpful, but it would be great if Merlin could incorporate some more information into their various hawks and raptors. I would love to be able to see a scale of sizes, for instance. I do think the Bird ID is excellent but could be improved for greater accuracy..Version: 2.1.8

Great beginner app and has advanced featuresThis app is great for the beginner with how it is configured with five inputs the birder is asked to supply(color, location, behavior, date, and size). It gives likely birds to the user can select that match the bird they saw. The sound feature is great for an advanced birder as it allows identification based on the sounds being heard, that it matches with bird calls. This feature has allowed me to identify birds that I may not have been aware of. The down side to the app is it often will not show a rare or uncommon bird which is highly frustrating. It would be nice to have other or expanded inputs such a fourth color and beak type or other identifiers. The life list is really nice but if you can’t add a bird you know you’ve seen because it’s rare and the app won’t show it is irritating. It would also be nice to allow someone to add a bird thru the Explore Birds feature when you don’t get a match…..Version: 2.1.5

Great app! But...I have really enjoyed using this app even though I was an experienced birdwatcher before I downloaded this app. It asks very simple questions as to size, color, activity, etc. that make it rather easy to identify many of the birds that are commonly found in my location. It think it would be great for beginning birders to use this app to familiarize themselves quickly with the great variety of birds commonly found on a regular basis in a location. However, its very simplicity makes it less desirable for more experienced birders who may be looking either to identify by group, color gradations, and sex, or to expand their knowledge with uncommon birds or those who may be migrating through at certain times. I find myself wishing I could add such as a category of bird, length of tail, or kind of beak, wing bars, eye rings, etc. to quickly add more specifics. I should think that there should be a way to quickly add to this app what a birder already knows, in order to make identification much smoother and quicker..Version: 2.1.2

Excellent birding by ear accuracy!I learned bird songs many years ago, and birding by ear is now second nature. I have used the sound portion of this app for a few days now, and it’s very accurate. It’s sensitive to faint sounds at a great distance. It helps me focus on calls and songs I might otherwise have overlooked, for example during dawn chorus in spring! Some calls (not songs) it can’t yet ID - for example, pine siskin - and once it mis-ID’d a brief sound as a green heron (no water for 1/4 mile). But generally, even its ID of warbler and flycatcher short chips is correct. But, so far, for approximately 40 different species - probably 300 birds total - in various locations, the accuracy is astounding. The fact that when the bird sings a second and third etc time, the bird’s ID photo lights up yellow is a great educational feature for people new to matching sounds with the ID. Highly recommend the app..Version: 2.1.1

Amazing AI TechnologyVery cool to take a photo and identify a bird. Then I can also listen to the bird calls to confirm it’s the bird I saw. If you are an avid border or just occasionally run into a bird you aren’t familiar with, use this app!.Version: 1.7.3

Merlin BirdLove this app so much. Easy to use, full of pictures, sounds and information. Thanks.Version: 2.1.1

Great, but not prefect.I use use app all the time. It’s a huge tool in my birding adventures. A word of caution, when using the sound Id take it with a grain of salt. Always follow it up with a visual confirmation. The sound id feature identified my son a a long eared owl 4 different times this season. So… yeah not perfect! But very handy when it is right..Version: 3.0.3

Just starting to explore the app.Great ID system. Just ID the great blue heron and listening to the sound provided I thought it was a poor choice. I am assuming that the bird recorded was in some kind of nesting area. 99% of the time when you see them and hear them is when they have been disturbed and take off in flight, squawking in annoyance. They sound like what I imagine a pterodactyl would sound like. Multiple recordings maybe? Listed from most common call to least..Version: 1.5.3

Nice!It’s really good for young birders! If you add a sound identifier, that would be awesome!.Version: 1.7.4

Best app on my iPhone BUTLost a star due to excessive battery usage. The app is great, but it uses about 1% a minute while I’m running it. I need to force it shut and reopen it to use it again to conserve battery. I’m not exaggerating. It literally will go down 10% in 10 minutes. Can you please fix this? If I’m out on a nature walk, I can’t use it the entire time or I will drive my phone dead. Yes, I’ve rebooted. I’ve deleted my sound recordings. This seems to be a recent glitch..Version: 3.0.1

Awesome app!Love this app so much. Love how it listens to bird calls and songs and then identifies which bird it is. So wonderful! Love using it while having a cup of coffee outside - put it on while listening to birds and then find out which birds you’re listening to!.Version: 2.1.5

Great app!One of the best apps to Id birds. It has helped me figure out so many new ones at my feeder. I am giving it one less star because it doesn’t save the birds you have seen. I want it to record a list of all of my birds.Version: 1.7.3

Great AppI would give this app 5 stars if Australia was included. I hope they add it soon.Version: 1.5.3

The BEST!Hands down the best bird identification app there is. Love to be able to record the sounds and have the app quickly identify what bird and highlight as well after it keeps chirping. THE BEST!.Version: 3.0.5

I love this appThis app has made me interested in birds, because I've always wondered what bird is that. With the Merlin Bird ID app, I've got it. The only complaints that I have is that I keep getting there was an error loading the recording on longer sound recording using this app. That is my only complaint because I'd like to add stuff to my life list. when I do record, I tried to capture as much birds as I can to know what other birds are around me..Version: 3.0.5

Love it!I’m loving this app! I’ve always wanted to know what some of the birds around my house are, but since I’m visually impaired I can only go by calls. This is the first app I found that allows you to identify by sound..Version: 3.0.5

A-ma-zingIt is simply amazing. The sound ID is beyond belief and gives a fourth dimension to my everyday’s life..Version: 3.0.5

Made me a BirderWhat started as a novelty to identify the bird songs I was hearing while out in the woods, quickly became a resource for info and then a quest to expand my life list. I love this app. I find myself watching for new birds to try and catch them all. The sound ID is great. The photo ID is great and even the step by step can go if you only get a glance. It’s an absolute must for nature lovers..Version: 3.0.5

AMAZINGIncredibly effective. However I found it difficult to master, even with the tutorial. Not sure if my reported sightings ever get to Cornell..Version: 3.0.5

Latest Update has created some bugsLove this app and having been using it for over a year but after the latest update, all Explore tab no long lists birds. Have tried reinstalling packs but still nothing..Version: 3.0.5

No Moe Bird GuidesJust arrived home from a trip to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. I used to buy a bird guide for the region I was travelling to. Not any more this app is very useful.Version: 3.0.5

Incredible tool to enhance one’s skillsI love two aspects of Merlin, in particular. If I’m out birding and hear a bird song or call I don’t recognize, Merlin can help with identification. When I’m traveling, I automatically download the “pack” of data for that country. I can look at photos and sounds before I leave to learn what I might see or hear, and, when there, I can look at the photos and remind myself of the features I’m looking for. Absolutely brilliant..Version: 3.0.5

Very useful appI use it mainly to identify neighbourhood birds. I had no idea how many varieties there were around our downtown home. Very pleased with how useful it is for bird identification..Version: 3.0.5

Bird countThe grade backyard bird count keeps me using this app year after year..Version: 3.0.5

Game ChangerThe sound ID feature is a game-changer for me. I have a pretty good ear for birds and can identify most of the local ones by sound, but Merlin is able to identify the ones I cannot and to confirm the ones I can..Version: 3.0.5

Merlin Bird AppReally love this technology! Really enhances your birding experience giving you a spectacular connection with the many many beautiful birds on our planet!.Version: 3.0.5

Wonderful app to identify birds!Really enjoy the accuracy of identifying birds!.Version: 3.0.5

Great appI use this app so often, just a fantastic app.Version: 3.0.5

I love the app but missing one featureWe love this app, we use it all the time at home and on our travels. The one feature that would make this a 5⭐️ app is to enable identifying and adding to my life list directly from the Explore tab. We often know the bird by name but are unable to find it using the step by step ID and it’s very time consuming..Version: 3.0.5

Je ne peux plus m’en passerPartout où je vais dans le monde je télécharge la carte et voilà! Facile à utiliser et a identifier les espèces..Version: 3.0.4

Bird IDAn excellent source for identification both visual and sound. Thank you for your endeavour. Much appreciated Art.Version: 3.0.4

Love this app!I love the multiple ways that you can identify a bird from sound picture or straight out of your silly memory..Version: 3.0.3

So close to perfectHonestly it’s an amazing app. I just wish it had basic info like size..Version: 3.0.4

Essential for birdingAmazing app essential for birding. The ID by sound we use all the time in the field to identify what we were looking at. The photo ID we use mainly at home. The ref section we use in both places..Version: 3.0.3

Spectacular AppThis app is so amazing its a must for any bird enthusiast. Did a Bird tour with an expert and this app did a better job of identifying birds than the expert. Totally recomended.Version: 3.0.3

Nice but occasional inaccuraciesOverall great app, recently updated my western Canada pack and now cannot ID a mute swan because western Canada isn’t even included on its map..Version: 3.0.3

Amazing appIf you are interested in birds at all this app is perfect for you it runs smooth and can instantly tell you what species you are looking at either through picture or sound it’s awesome It defiantly helped kick start my life for birding.Version: 3.0.3

Great app.. butHave used Merlin for several years.. love it. Recently when I go into settings it freezes ( locks up) my phone. I have updated the app and my phone software. Still an issue..Version: 3.0.3

Lasqueti Island bcI use this app every morning and throughout the day. They don’t have the northwest crow which we have along the BC coastal zones? Not sure how to inform the site that they have missed that bird. Looking forward to using Merlin again in Mexico this winter. So grateful and thankful 😉.Version: 3.0.3

Fun easy way to learn about birdsI love this app! I’ve learned so much in a short time a lot more than if I had to research the bird & so forth. I can now identify birds by there calls..Version: 3.0.3

Great for birdwatchers!We are really enjoying this app, and it lets us know about birds that are in the area that we never would’ve thought! Being able to identify them, learning about them has been a joy..Version: 3.0.3

Amazing appIt’s is really amazing what this app can do! If you at all interested in birds, this is the app to have..Version: 3.0.2

Not good for travelI have this app. I live in Eastern Canada. For the most part - works great! Sometimes it decides to not pick up the birds even tho they’re right there. But all-in-all, decent….for home. I recently travelled to Australia and was ecstatic to use this app there!!! I downloaded 2 different bird packages for the areas I was in and it picked up one common bird sound on my first day/try and then never worked again. I tried everything besides deleting and redownloading as I was too afraid to lose all of “My Birds” from home in Canada. (I even had my Aussie friend download the app and she tried and it never worked at all for her) Pretty disappointing….Version: 3.0.2

Love this app❗️❣️I love being able to identify birds anywhere. It’s a great resource ❣️.Version: 3.0.2

ExcellentMerlin is fabulous and helps me learn bird calls and songs so I know what’s around even if I can’t see them. It’s very accurate. If Merlin identifies a bird from sound and I see it then it’s always right..Version: 3.0.2

Great butSound ID is a game changer but why the heck can we not add from the Explore section. Pleasepleaseplease change this.Version: 3.0.2

Great app! Really wish they had a widget!I can’t count how many times I’m scrambling opening the Merlin app for sound ID when I hear a new bird. Would love a widget that takes me directly from the lockscreen to the sound ID of the app. PLEASE GUYS MAKE IT HAPPEN IT WOULD BE SO CONVENIENT.Version: 3.0.2

Fun but inaccurateI wish there were an option to record sightings of birds without going through the whole ID process. I just saw a snow bunting - it’s unusual for this area, but not impossible. When I tried to go through the ID process to record it, nothing came up. I tried so many variations of size and colour and got no matching birds. I see it’s in the database, but there’s no option to click on the bird in the database and say “I saw this”. I even tried adjusting the location to one where I know this bird should be present and it still didn’t come up as a suggestion. This has also happened several times with other birds - I know what it is, but it doesn’t show up as an option when I go through the step by step ID. The photo ID option is cool if you can get a decent enough photo and the sound ID is very fun because I’m terrible at remembering bird calls..Version: 3.0.2

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