# BirdNET — Bird sound identification

> AI-powered bird sound identification app for North America and Europe. (iPhone/iPad app by Stefan Kahl.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Stefan Kahl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541842887)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 212 App Store ratings · 371 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 98 MB
- Languages: American English, Czech, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, European Portuguese, Russian and 2 more
- Released: 2020-12-03
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885/reviews.md

## What is BirdNET?

How can computers learn to recognize birds from sounds? The BirdNET research project uses artificial intelligence and neural networks to train computers to identify nearly 3,000 of the most common species of North America and Europe. You can record a file using the internal microphone of your iOS device and see if BirdNET correctly identifies the probable bird species present in your recording. Get to know the birds around you and help us to collect observations by submitting your recordings. 

BirdNET is a joint project of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Chemnitz University of Technology.

## Key features

- AI-powered bird sound recognition
- Identify common North American and European species
- Record audio with internal microphone
- View probable bird species identification
- Contribute to conservation research
- Learn about local birds

## What do users think of BirdNET?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 💚 Excellent bird identification accuracy
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🔍 Helpful links to Wikipedia and other resources
- 🎉 Enjoyable and educational for bird enthusiasts
- 🗺️ Leverages location data to improve identification

**Cons**

- 🐛 App crashes or freezes on some devices
- 🔍 Struggles to identify multiple birds singing simultaneously
- 🔇 Unable to play back previous recordings in some cases
- 🗺️ Inaccurate or incomplete regional bird data
- 🤔 Questionable identification results in some cases

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to access observation history
- Recordings disappearing after app updates
- Inability to start a new recording without exiting the app
- Microphone not working on certain devices
- Incorrect or missing bird species in regional databases

**Most requested features**

- Ability to manually select frequency ranges for analysis
- Option to delete individual observations or recordings
- Import/export functionality for recordings and observations
- Improved handling of background noise and interference
- More detailed feedback when multiple birds are detected

## Recent user reviews (10 of 371)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885/reviews.md

### 4/5 — You must record a noise and let the app know what bird makes this noise.

*2026-07-10, version 1.1.1*

Pros: good source to identify bird sounds! Cons: some sounds if you talk, sing or make noises, the app thinks it’s “ human”

### 5/5 — Free and it works!

*2026-06-16, version 1.1.1*

Tried a few of these apps and this is my fav. It is also precise. Great job!

### 1/5 — Keeps crashing

*2026-06-10, version 1.1.1*

Keeps crashing so cannot get any results

### 1/5 — Waste of time.

*2026-05-17, version 1.1.1*

I’ve had this app for almost a year and it has never correctly identified a bird call. Even when staring at the bird knowing what it is it doesn’t ID it. I’m surprised it hasn’t identified a cardinal as a pterodactyl.

### 1/5 — Laughably Bad

*2026-05-16, version 1.1.1*

Works 0/10 times. Not a single positive ID. Throws out three guesses, mostly unrelated birds with remarkably different sounds.

### 2/5 — Just Wants Access to Mic, But Doesn’t Load

*2026-05-12, version 1.1.1*

Waste of time.  Giving access to my mic for an app that won’t even load.

### 1/5 — Распознает не правильно

*2026-05-12*

Пытался распознать одно четкое характерное пение, приложение каждый раз выдавало другую птицу, и все они были не те (проверял по записям этих птиц)

### 1/5 — Бесполезная вещь

*2026-05-05*

Приложение работать по принципу “пальцем в небо». Записал песню зяблика, приложение говорит что это дрозд, горихвостка или трясогузка. Бесполезная вещь

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2026-04-25, version 1.1.1*

Installed the App, allowed it to access the microphone, the App then crashes. Rebooted phone, the App still crashes. Deleted App!

### 1/5 — Maybe good app, but…

*2026-04-22, version 1.1.1*

As always, crashes after opening (iPhone 7). 1 year later - the same. And my old comment was disappeared. Too bad.
But must be better! Please, support and development!

## Frequently asked questions about BirdNET

### What does BirdNET do?

BirdNET uses artificial intelligence and neural networks to identify bird species based on their sounds. You can record audio using your device's microphone, and the app will attempt to identify the probable bird species present in the recording.

### What features does BirdNET offer?

Key features include AI-powered bird sound recognition for nearly 3,000 common species in North America and Europe, the ability to record audio directly within the app, and the option to submit recordings to aid in conservation research. It helps users learn about the birds around them.

### Is BirdNET free to use?

Yes, BirdNET is a free application. It does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements, making it accessible for all users interested in bird identification.

### What birds can BirdNET identify?

The app is trained to identify nearly 3,000 of the most common bird species found in North America and Europe. It focuses on recognizing their distinct vocalizations.

### Who is BirdNET for?

This app is designed for anyone interested in birds, from casual nature observers to dedicated birdwatchers and citizen scientists. It's ideal for those who want to identify birds by their songs and calls and contribute to scientific observation.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.1.1 — 2025-07-10

Fixed some issues with files submission

### 1.1.0 — 2025-05-08

- expanded the species range and added new images
- minor bugfixes

### 1.0.11 — 2024-11-21

fixed few observation

### 1.0.10 — 2024-11-06

Species update 
Performance improvement

### 1.0.9 — 2024-04-25

Minor feature improvement

## Apps similar to BirdNET

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/identify-birds-smart-bird-id/id1271449623) | 4.7 (16,721) | Free | Education |
| [Bird Sound Identifier Bird ID](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-sound-identifier-bird-id/id1618581273) | 4.5 (371) | Free | Education |
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| [Bird Song Identifier Sounds ID](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-song-identifier-sounds-id/id1638290038) | 4.0 (22) | Free | Education |
| [Animal Sounds: Learn & Explore](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animal-sounds-learn-and-explore/id1543642881) | 4.3 (1,554) | Free | Education |
| [Bird Scanner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-scanner/id1585486892) | 3.9 (53) | Free | Education |

## More apps by Stefan Kahl

- [BirdNET Live](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet-live/id6776168518)

All apps by Stefan Kahl: https://appshunter.io/developer/1541842887

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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 2026-08-28.*