# Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab — user reviews > 1,813 indexed App Store user reviews of Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab by Cornell University, rated 4.90/5 from 111,272 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 101,724 · 4★ 6,763 · 3★ 1,125 · 2★ 561 · 1★ 1,099 ## 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 ## Newest reviews (17 of 1,813) ### 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? ### 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. ### 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 … ### 3/5 — Most of the time it works *2026-08-19, version 4.1* When it's working it identifies the birds around, but today I had fish crows 30 yards away holding court and it just said "listening...listening".. No other noises around except the birds and the solitude of my woods. My mourning dove impression has faked out the app multiple times too. ### 2/5 — Worse every month *2026-08-17, version 4.1* This app still does what it’s supposed to do; the problem is that it’s also trying to do more and more other things. Silliness like the “bird of the day”seems to be distracting the developers from less exciting stuff like, for example, stopping the the app from hanging and sometimes crashing when you switch regions, organize bird packs sensible, making the life list function useable, and so on. Nice effort and I retain hope, but the bloat is starting to weigh it down far too much. Updated: it’s now even worse than when I first wrote this. It hangs almost constantly, to the point of being unusable a lot of the time. What was once a terrific app has become an overweight nightmare. ### 3/5 — Botão de salvar precisa melhorar *2026-08-17* Se no final não apertar o botão do áudio você simplesmente perde toda a coleção de aves detectada, e o botão fica mal localizado e sem muito destaque então vocês precisam rever isso. E deveria existir a opção de salvar automático, e ela ser o default. Espero que esse comentário sirva de uma grande melhoria. ### 5/5 — Eureka! *2026-08-16, version 4.0* This is an epic, life-changing app. It should come pre-installed on every iPhone. I guarantee you the world would be a better place! ### 5/5 — If you love birds you will love this *2026-08-16, version 4.0* Merlin Bird App is amazing I have learned such a lot about the birds that I live in close proximity to, I have recommended the App to my friends and they all love it. ### 5/5 — Brilliant *2026-08-16, version 4.0* Amazing app to help me identify who was in today's dawn chorus. It listens and knows! Haven't tried the visual ID yet but looking forward to it. ### 5/5 — Garden pond in drought *2026-08-16, version 4.0* Since Jul Aug drought our 5 m diameter garden pond with lots of rushes a cascade and surrounding bushes etc frequented by dozens of birds in mixed flicks & singly usually only glimpsing most- Merlin alerts me to unusual arrivals & then able to look for them - not always accurate as don’t think either the kingfisher or Greylag goose actually turned up when miles from a stream or river ### 5/5 — Great, great great *2026-08-15, version 4.0* I think it’s bigger like it really helped me and then my new type of bird and then put them on my own life with I’ve created because this life was gone and a little crazy and it’s really helpful. I love knowing the different types of birds and calling my mother or record then ### 5/5 — We LOVE Merlin by Cornell! *2026-08-15, version 4.0* I just lost my oldest kitty who always stayed outside near or on our deck. She was wonderful and never bothered the birds. It broke my heart to lose her. It’s been very painful to be on the deck without her. It seems empty. However, I should not punish the birds for her loss. Merlin has helped me venture back out to the deck to feed the birds. Seeing my feathered friends is soothing to my soul. Thank you!! ### 5/5 — Wow! *2026-08-14, version 4.0* I enjoy this app. Great way to ID birds. Enjoy it everyday. ### 5/5 — Amazing app *2026-08-13, version 4.0* My friend told me about the app shortly before moving to northern Ontario, I’m glad she did, has it has opened up a whole new world of bird ID for me! ### 5/5 — Merlin has changed my life *2026-08-13, version 4.0* Thank you for making me look at the world again ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 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 ### 1/5 — Black Chinned and Broad Tailed HHumminfUtah. They’ve arMay and go p *2026-08-21, version 4.1* L ### 1/5 — Steals your information *2026-08-18, version 4.1* This app used to work entirely without demanding your information. Recently, they made changes demanding your personal information, said "you have two weeks to confirm this is really your information before we lock you out of the app", and subsequently locks you out. There is NO REASON for them to all of the sudden demand this unless they’re using it for shady purposes. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2026-08-10, version 4.0* Not once has an id been right. Actually it’s horrendously wrong almost every time. ### 1/5 — Deleted my life list! *2026-08-07, version 4.0* I opened the app to ID a bird. Went to add to my life list. I had been logged out after being logged in for years. I needed to reset my password, and when I logged in again, my entire life list was gone! this was years of birding all over the world! Do Not Trust this app! ### 1/5 — Stop signing me out. *2026-08-02, version 4.0* It’s a bird identification app for crying out loud. We don’t need secure sign ins. And you don’t get to share my information. Bad update. Whoever thought this was a good idea should no longer be working for your company. ### 1/5 — Life List Lost *2026-07-31, version 4.0* I have used and loved this app for many years but recently my life list just disappeared. I have contacted tech support multiple times but have gotten no response. Is there some way to recover my entire list? Please help! ### 1/5 — Stop signing me out. *2026-07-30, version 4.0* It’s a bird identification app for crying out loud. We don’t need secure sign ins. And you don’t get to share my information. Bad update. ### 1/5 — Brilliant Now Not *2026-07-28, version 4.0* Field Guide with Instant ID. NOT. Was amazing, picking up faintest bird calls. I’ve just had 2 flocks of gulls go overhead and nothing zip zilch. You can hear them all on the recording but no ID. Why? No response came the reply. ### 1/5 — Love this app but BROKEN *2026-07-28, version 4.0* I love this app but lately it’s been signing me out every time and making me activate my account again when I already have one so now I can’t save my birds. PLEASE FIX IT ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 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 ### 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! ### 5/5 — An avian 🎼ymphony *2026-08-21, version 4.1* As a senior bird lover/birdwatcher ( or scientifically classified, by me 😉) a septuagenarian ornithophile), I heartily thank Merlin Bird ID for its ability to identify the few birds whom I had not already been able to call by name(s). Also being a music lover, I daily partake in many an avian symphony. Each begins with an aerial aria, soon to be joined by my own whistling. When I notice a need for a little more soprano (e.g. a hermit thrush) or even a little percussion (a downy woodpecker), I play the Merlin songs of the missing sounds, and voilà! Willing feathered musicians often arrive and join in. Another beautiful avian 🎼ymphony! Thank you, Merlin ID. ### 5/5 — Best Ever *2026-08-21, version 4.1* Love this app- best app I’ve ever used !!! ### 5/5 — Gateway to Birding *2026-08-21, version 4.1* I don’t have enough positive words to explain how I feel about this app. A friend mentioned it to me, and in the past year I have become a novice birder thanks to the information available here. I love going to a park or forest and starting a sound ID session because if I hear anything unfamiliar, I can get an idea of what it could be and what to look out for. The Merlin app and specifically the sound ID feature has helped me train my ear to recognize and deeply appreciate the wildlife that surrounds me, no matter where I am. When I’m bored, I read about and listen to new birds so I can recognize them in the wild someday. I really think this app is a fantastic educational tool, and the fact that it’s free makes it even better. Birding should be accessible to everyone who is interested, and I think this app is doing a LOT to make that a reality. ### 5/5 — So Fun *2026-08-21, version 4.1* Thank you for making this wonderful app available. The world of bird watching has opened to me and subsequently improved my life immensely. I now regularly spend time appreciating birds and nature, to the great benefit of my mental and spiritual life. ### 5/5 — Best app ever *2026-08-20, version 4.1* This is the best app on my phone, and I’ve got a lot of apps! ### 5/5 — I love this app *2026-08-19, version 4.1* Thank you for the update on 8.19.26, app now works correctly again. --- *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 2026-08-29.*