# Birder's Best Friend — Rare birds in LA & Orange Co.

> Rare birds in LA & Orange Co. (iPhone/iPad app by Ilich Zuniga.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birders-best-friend/id6818868964 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ilich Zuniga](https://appshunter.io/developer/6818868966)
- Category: Reference, Education
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 16.4 · 30 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-10-12
- Data updated: 2026-10-24

## What is Birder's Best Friend?

Birder's Best Friend shows rare bird sightings across Los Angeles and Orange County, pulled from eBird and iNaturalist, so you know what's around and whether it's still there.

 • A live map and list of rare birds, with photos, observer notes and the exact spot when the observer shared it
 • See at a glance if a bird is continuing, refound today, or hasn't been seen lately
 • Report a Refound or a Dip in one tap so other chasers know right away. No account needed
 • Push alerts when a new rare bird is reported
 • Plan a day trip: save birds and get driving directions in Apple Maps or Google Maps
 • At-sea birds are labelled and can be hidden

Free, no ads, no account. Your location stays on your phone and is only used to show how far you are from a bird.

## Is Birder's Best Friend safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Birder's Best Friend.

## Is Birder's Best Friend legit?

Birder's Best Friend has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Birder's Best Friend is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.7.0 — 2026-10-18

Dark mode: the app and the map follow your phone's light or dark setting.
Works with no signal: the app opens on the last birds it loaded and shows how old they are.
Dips add up: a dipped bird's pin turns pale with a red outline that deepens as more people dip it, and its page says "Dipped ×3". A new sighting clears it.
Sort the list by Newest or Rarest.
Map names no longer overlap; zoom in to see more.
Better VoiceOver and TalkBack support.

### 1.6.0 — 2026-10-17

• Near me has a range: pick 10, 25 or 50 km. It shows rare birds from the last 7 days, closest first, with the range drawn on the map.
• Pins that show what's fresh: a pin sparkles when a bird was refound today or a rare one was seen today, and fades after someone dips it.
• The top card now goes to a bird seen in the last 3 days, so it's one you can still find.
• Transit directions: a new Transit button gives bus and train directions to a bird.
• Island birds: birds on Catalina and the Channel Islands are marked as island birds, with how to get there and a ferry link.
• Fewer repeat alerts: shared eBird checklists no longer send the same alert again.

### 1.5.1 — 2026-10-12

"This week" is now "Last 7 days". It used to start on Sunday, so on Sunday mornings it showed no birds. It now always covers today and the six days before.

### 1.5.0 — 2026-10-12

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-24.*