# Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab — Identify Birds You See & Hear > Bird identification app using photos, sounds, and simple questions. (iPhone/iPad app by Cornell University.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Cornell University](https://appshunter.io/developer/382072985) - Category: Reference, Lifestyle - Price: Free - Rating: 4.90/5 from 111,272 App Store ratings · 1,813 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.0 · 311 MB - Languages: Russian, Afrikaans, Kazakh, Persian, Welsh, Zulu, British English, Arabic, Dutch, Danish and 21 more - Released: 2013-12-11 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673/reviews.md ## What is Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab? 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 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. • Discover a new bird species each day with your own personalized Bird of the Day • Get customized lists of birds you can find where you live or travel - anywhere in the world! • Keep track of your sightings—build your personal list of the birds you find MACHINE LEARNING MAGIC • Powered by Visipedia, Merlin Sound ID and Photo ID uses machine 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 • Merlin has bird 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. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds and nature. We are able to offer Merlin for free thanks to the generosity of Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors. ## Key features - 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 ## Chart rankings - #11 in Top Free · Reference (US App Store) ## What do users think of Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 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 **Cons** - 🐛 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 **Commonly reported bugs** - Sound ID not working in some cases - Inability to download bird packs due to storage issues - Repeated email confirmation requests - Incorrect bird identifications in certain locations - Inability to edit or delete past sightings **Most requested features** - Allow manual addition of birds to life list - Improve search functionality to find specific birds - Add more bird packs for underrepresented regions - Improve sound ID accuracy and reliability - Provide option to save recordings without location - Add more details and filters to bird information - Improve user interface for better navigation ## Recent user reviews (10 of 1,813) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Really good but… *2026-08-25, version 4.1.1* Love the app, my only complaint is that it won’t let me sign in or stay signed in, and i cannot use the Life List whatsoever because of it. I have made an account but when i can’t sign into it, the sign in option doesn’t go away even after putting my password in and everything. My other complaint is that the app can’t identify the Crimson Rosella for some reason? ### 1/5 — Skip email suddenly missing *2026-08-24, version 4.1* I get enough spam email already, I don’t need to be in Cornell Labs mailing list ### 4/5 — Great App, needs some tweaks *2026-08-24, version 4.1* I use this app primarily on an iPad mini. It would be nice if the format was not limited to the iPhone layout. I would use it far more if the format matched the device; easier to see and read. It would also be nice to have a faster load/start so one can identify the bird in front of you rather than waiting for an app to load and wade through options by which time the bird is long gone. ### 5/5 — Great App *2026-08-23, version 4.1* Love using the Merlin app for identifying birds. I do wish it could handle the water running sounds better. It makes identifying the water fowl a bit difficult but other than that a great app. I use it everyday. ### 5/5 — Most beloved app I use *2026-08-23, version 4.1* This is the most joy giving app that I have ever used and the one I recommend the most to friends. It doesn’t work well in certain places in the world but works great in the US. ### 5/5 — Top Shelf *2026-08-23, version 4.1* Simple and easy to use. Ed ### 3/5 — Не работает лайфлист *2026-08-23* Перестала работать функция "Это моя птица", распознает птиц приложение всегда по разному, то за 1 секунду, то и за минуту не может определить, хотя пишет, что птицу слышит. ### 2/5 — Does not pick up sound anymore *2026-08-23, version 4.1* I used to love this app when I first downloaded. It was addictive and it would pick up birds in seconds. Now I can be near a very loud, perfectly audible bird but the app just flashes with “hearing bird” and then nothing. Please fix this, it’s very frustrating when you’re desperate to become a novice twitcher! ### 3/5 — As I use it, it disappoint *2026-08-22, version 4.1* There’s a rent sitting like 6 feet away from me. I could see the bird, but it was chirping, but this app cannot identify it. It can barely hear it and then another bird not 10 minutes it didn’t even recognize it as a bird calling so this app’s not that great it could predict or tell me the birds I already know so what the … ### 5/5 — Incredible App *2026-08-22, version 4.1* This app is wonderful. I use it almost everyday to help me identify birds. It’s really helped me learn so much. Invaluable! ## Frequently asked questions about Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab ### 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. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.1.1 — 2026-08-24 What's new in 4.1: Sound ID is better at listening for birds, and now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Birds have different sounds throughout the year. Merlin now highlights seasonally relevant recordings, so you can learn how birds sound during breeding season, migration, and beyond. Nearby places now include photo thumbnails, making it easier to browse and recognize birding hotspots near you. ### 4.1 — 2026-08-17 Birds have different sounds throughout the year. Merlin now highlights seasonally relevant recordings, so you can learn how birds sound during breeding season, migration, and beyond. Sound ID continues to improve and expand, and now includes hundreds of new species across Central and South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Nearby places now include photo thumbnails, making it easier to browse and recognize birding hotspots near you. ### 4.0 — 2026-07-13 What's new in 4.0: Enhanced account authentication - Added a more secure method for logging in. Improved flow for saving birds - Streamlined the process for saving birds to your life list. Added support for iOS 26. Bug fixes and improvements. Important Update Notice: You'll be automatically logged out when this version launches due to the new authentication system. Simply log back in using any login screen. Forgot your password? Use the reset option to get back in quickly. ### 3.9 — 2026-05-23 What’s new in 3.9: Observation Deck: Your Merlin home screen now features a swipeable daily feed showcasing Bird of the Day, stunning featured photos, and bite-sized bird tips! Each contains a full-screen view for photos and videos, plus a "Learn more" button to dive deeper into species accounts or related content. Habitat Photos: Discover where birds live with our new carousel of habitat photos curated for a subset of species, making it easier than ever to find the birds near you or further afield! New language support for Kyrgyz and Welsh. Improvements and new species added to Photo ID. Bug fixes and improvements. ### 3.8.4 — 2026-04-07 What’s new in 3.8.4: Sound ID is better at listening for birds, and now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, Australia, Hawai’i, the Caribbean, Taiwan, and India! A smarter Explore experience. As you travel to new locations, Merlin will keep you updated on birds found in that new spot Improvements and new species added to Photo ID Nearby Places: Get ready to explore! Get seasonal suggestions for nearby places where you can find your Bird of the Day, and other birds you want to see ## Apps similar to Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-sounds-identifier-call-id/id6449354786) | 4.7 (13,407) | Free | Reference | | [Picture Bird: Bird identifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picture-bird-bird-identifier/id1474586978) | 4.7 (39,822) | Free | Reference | | [Bird Sound Identifier Song ID](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-sound-identifier-song-id/id6452678671) | 4.3 (493) | Free | Reference | | [Audubon Bird Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/audubon-bird-guide/id333227386) | 4.3 (4,517) | Free | Reference | | [Birda - Bird Watching, Birding](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birda-bird-watching-birding/id1564130920) | 4.7 (2,141) | Free | Reference | | [Identifier Picture ID Scanner.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/identifier-picture-id-scanner/id6738742141) | 3.8 (92) | Free | Reference | ## More apps by Cornell University - [AHDC Mobile](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ahdc-mobile/id897978329) - [eBird](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ebird/id988799279) - [Work Zone NYS](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/work-zone-nys/id1072192800) - [NestWatch by the Cornell Lab](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nestwatch-by-the-cornell-lab/id1207563841) - [Cornell Vet preVet Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cornell-vet-prevet-tracker/id1272148491) All apps by Cornell University: https://appshunter.io/developer/382072985 ## Related topics [king bachy bird](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/king-bachy-bird) · [bird sounds](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-sounds) · [bird song identifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-song-identifier) · [bird calls](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-calls) · [bird watching](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-watching) · [bird call](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-call) · [bird watch](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-watch) · [merlin](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/merlin) · [bird sounds identifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-sounds-identifier) · [bird sounds identifying](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-sounds-identifying) · [identify bird calls](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/identify-bird-calls) · [bird identifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-identifier) · [bird watching cornell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-watching-cornell) · [free bird song identifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/free-bird-song-identifier) · [bird call identifier](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-call-identifier) · [bird sounds free](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-sounds-free) · [bird sounds identifier call id](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-sounds-identifier-call-id) · [bird call identification](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-call-identification) · [identify bird calls free](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/identify-bird-calls-free) · [bird call identifier free](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bird-call-identifier-free) --- *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.*