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Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab

Identify Birds You See & Hear

114K ratings
2014 reviews
#29 in free Reference
🌟 Lifestyle
🔍 Reference
Free

Details

Released
December 11, 2013
Updated
October 9, 2026

Features

Developer

Cornell University
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About

Easily identify birds by sight or sound using advanced machine learning. Explore birds in your region, track your sightings, and learn about species with photos, sounds, and range maps. This free app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helps build your birding skills.

✓Identify birds by photo
✓Identify birds by sound
✓Answer simple questions for ID
✓Explore birds by region
✓Track bird sightings
✓View range maps and photos
✓Bird of the Day feature
Show original description

What users say about Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab

Reviews of Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab are mostly positive: the Reference app is rated 4.9/5 from 114K App Store ratings. What users like most: helpful for bird identification, accurate bird identification. Top complaints: sound ID not always accurate, occasional crashes or bugs. Summarized from real user reviews.

Positive things

  • 🚀Helpful for bird identification
  • 🔒Accurate bird identification
  • 👍Easy to use
  • 👍Useful for beginners and experts
  • 👍Enjoyable and fun to use
  • 👍Comprehensive bird information
  • 👍Excellent sound identification feature
  • 👍Connects with eBird
  • 👍Free app with no ads

Negative things

  • 🐛Sound ID not always accurate
  • 🐛Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🐛Difficulty adding birds to life list
  • 🐛Limited bird packs for certain regions
  • 🐛Requires location access
  • 🐛High battery consumption
  • 🐛Confusing user interface in some areas
See all reviews

What's New in Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab

4.2.1

October 9, 2026

What's new in 4.2.1: Identifying birds with a picture is easier than ever. No need to crop your picture - simply upload your photo, add the location, and we'll take care of the rest. The sound recordings now include descriptive captions for some species, helping you understand what you're hearing and learn the key sounds that identify each species. Seasonally Dynamic Media: See how birds change throughout the year! Photos and sounds now adapt to the changing seasons, highlighting how birds can look and sound different throughout the year. Bug fixes and behind-the-scenes improvements.

More

Charts

Top Free

📉 29-1

Reference

This app dropped -1 position in Reference chart.

Last updated on October 17, 2026.

Events

Read more about Global Big Day
Event EndedSpecial Event

Global Big Day

Join birding's biggest celebration this May 10th

May 10, 2025 — May 11, 2025

Read More

Read more about Meet your Bird of the Day
Event EndedChallenge

Meet your Bird of the Day

A new bird each day, picked just for you!

Mar 13, 2025 — Mar 31, 2025

Read More

Read more about Great Backyard Bird Count
Event EndedSpecial Event

Great Backyard Bird Count

Celebrate birds from February 14 - 17

Feb 14, 2025 — Feb 18, 2025

Read More

See All

User reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

Good for ID, does NOT save all your sessions!!!

I’ve been extremely frustrated with this app’s tendency to only save sound ID sessions when it seems to feel like it, even if I hit stop recording and attempt to save it. This has botched my fieldwork multiple times and if there were any alternative to merlin I would have certainly found it by now.
ludenburgeludenburge

Clarkson’s Farm

This is excellent and did not know it existed until watching Clarkson’s Farm.
Fraz77Fraz77

FREAKING AWESOME

By far this is the best bird call identifier on the market?

I love it
Hael13Hael13

Amazing app!

I love this app, though i belive recordings should have the option to “Resume” instead of completely restarting. Aside from that, this app is flawless!
XiaNXeroXiaNXero

Such a great app

This app is literally a birder’s dream! One thing you could add though is a ‘commonly confused’ section. That would be great for some species :)
J_McTavishJ_McTavish
See 2009 more reviews

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User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

5 issues

Sound ID not working in some cases

Bug

Inability to download bird packs due to storage issues

Bug

Repeated email confirmation requests

Bug

Incorrect bird identifications in certain locations

Bug

Inability to edit or delete past sightings

Bug
✨

Requested Features

7 requests

Allow manual addition of birds to life list

Feature

Improve search functionality to find specific birds

Feature

Add more bird packs for underrepresented regions

Feature

Improve sound ID accuracy and reliability

Feature

Provide option to save recordings without location

Feature

Add more details and filters to bird information

Feature

Improve user interface for better navigation

Feature

FAQ

What does the Merlin Bird ID app do?

Merlin Bird ID is a free app that helps you identify birds you see or hear. It uses machine learning powered by a vast database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos from eBird. You can identify birds by uploading a photo, recording a sound, answering simple questions, or exploring birds in a specific region.

How accurate is the bird identification?

The app leverages machine learning trained on millions of photos and sounds collected by experienced birders. This, combined with curated data from eBird and the Macaulay Library, ensures highly accurate identification results. Expert birders contribute to the ongoing improvement of the identification algorithms.

Is Merlin Bird ID free to use?

Yes, Merlin Bird ID is offered for free by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This is made possible through the generosity of Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors. While the core app is free, there might be optional in-app purchases for additional content or features.

What kind of information does the app provide about birds?

Beyond identification, the app offers expert ID tips, detailed range maps, high-quality photos, and bird songs and calls for numerous species worldwide. It also allows you to discover a new bird species daily and create customized lists of birds found in your location or travel destinations.

Can I use this app to track my bird sightings?

Yes, the app allows you to keep track of your sightings, helping you build a personal list of the birds you have successfully identified. This feature is useful for birdwatchers who want to document their encounters and monitor their progress in identifying different species.