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Best Free Bird Call Identification Apps

196+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.5 avg rating
19 free apps
Updated July 2026

Every iPhone needs a few good free bird call identification apps. We benchmark 196+ of them on App Store rating, freshness, and pricing, then surface the standouts so you don't have to scroll the App Store yourself.

Compare top Free Bird Call Identification Apps (July 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Merlin Bird ID by Cornell LabMerlin Bird ID by Cornell LabFree4.9★ (109K)YesNoJul 2026
2Audubon Bird GuideAudubon Bird GuideFree4.3★ (4.5K)YesNoJul 2026
3Bird Sounds Identifier Call IDBird Sounds Identifier Call IDFree4.7★ (13K)YesYesJul 2026
4Bird Call ID: Bird IdentifierBird Call ID: Bird IdentifierFree—NoNoJun 2026
5Picture Bird: Bird identifierPicture Bird: Bird identifierFree4.7★ (35K)NoYesJul 2026
6Identify Birds – Smart Bird IDIdentify Birds – Smart Bird IDFree4.7★ (17K)NoYesJul 2026
7Bird Call Identifier: FeathaBird Call Identifier: FeathaFree4.6★ (45)NoYesJul 2026
8BirdNETBirdNETFree4.1★ (194)NoNoJul 2026

Top Picks for Free Bird Call Identification

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab#1

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab by Cornell University

Identify Birds You See & Hear
Editor's Choice
🔍 Reference
4.9😊(109K ratings)
FreeAds
#4in Reference
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 1
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 2
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 3
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 4
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 5
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Helpful for bird identification
  • 🔒 Accurate bird identification
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Useful for beginners and experts

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Sound ID not always accurate
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🐛 Difficulty adding birds to life list
Audubon Bird Guide#2

Audubon Bird Guide by National Audubon Society, Inc.

Identify over 800 bird species
Strong Contender
🔍 Reference
4.3😊(4.5K ratings)
FreeAds
Audubon Bird Guide screenshot 1
Audubon Bird Guide screenshot 2
Audubon Bird Guide screenshot 3
Audubon Bird Guide screenshot 4
Audubon Bird Guide screenshot 5
Audubon Bird Guide screenshot 6

Identify North American birds with this comprehensive field guide. Features include a bird ID tool based on observations, detailed species information with photos and audio, and a personal sightings log. Discover nearby birding locations and connect with conservation efforts.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Great app
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🔍 Helpful for identifying birds
  • 🎶 Useful bird calls and sounds

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes
  • 🔄 Confusing interface changes
  • 🔒 Requires account creation
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID#3

Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID by Nhu Nguyen Thi

Bird Identifier By Sound, Song
Worth Considering
🔍 Reference
4.7😞(13K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
#56in Reference
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID screenshot 1
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID screenshot 2
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID screenshot 3
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID screenshot 4
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID screenshot 5

Identify birds by their songs or images. This app can recognize over 10,000 species, providing detailed information and photos. It's designed for bird lovers and nature enthusiasts to easily learn about avian life.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Accurate bird identification
  • 👍 Helpful for bird enthusiasts
  • 🌟 Impressive app overall
  • 🎉 Great for learning about birds

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate bird identification
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🤖 Overly aggressive upselling

More Free Bird Call Identification apps to explore

4
Bird Call ID: Bird Identifier
Bird Call ID: Bird Identifier
Bird Call ID: Bird Identifier
Identify birds by their songs
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
5
Picture Bird: Bird identifier
Picture Bird: Bird identifier
Picture Bird: Bird identifier
Identify Sound & Call, Birding
Free

Identify birds by photo or sound with this smart app. Access detailed information, learn about bird feeding, and manage your sightings. It's a comprehensive tool for bird enthusiasts of all levels.

Accurate bird identification by photo or soundBirding camera with automatic sharpeningBird feeding guidance and tips
🔍 Reference
(35K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID
From photo or sound. Instantly
Free

Instantly identify birds from photos or sounds. Explore a global bird guide, learn through interactive challenges and courses, and log your sightings. Connect with a community of bird watchers and collect animated stickers.

Identify birds by photoIdentify birds by soundGlobal bird identification guide
📚 Education
(17K)
free with in-app purchases
7
Bird Call Identifier: Featha
Bird Call Identifier: Featha
Bird Call Identifier: Featha
Identify By Sound and Picture
Free

Identify birds using their calls or photos with this AI-powered app. It offers instant identification, a history of your discoveries, and an AI enhancement tool for your bird photos. Explore the avian world around you with ease.

Bird call recognitionInstant bird identification by photoAI image enhancement
📚 Education
(45)
freemium
8
BirdNET
BirdNET
BirdNET
Bird sound identification
Free

Identify bird species by their sounds using AI. Record audio with your device and discover the birds around you. Contribute to conservation research by submitting your recordings.

AI-powered bird sound recognitionIdentify common North American and European speciesRecord audio with internal microphone
📚 Education
(194)
free
9
Bird ID - Call Identification
Bird ID - Call Identification
Bird ID - Call Identification
Sounds & Picture Identifier
Free

Identify birds by their appearance or song with this smart utility. It provides detailed information on species, saves your discoveries, and turns any outing into a nature exploration.

Instant recognition by photoVoice recording and analysisHistory of searches
🔧 Utilities
(16)
subscription
10
200+ Sounds of Birds
200+ Sounds of Birds
200+ Sounds of Birds
With Soundboard
Free

Explore a vast collection of over 200 bird sounds from around the globe. Each sound includes a photo of the bird and is optimized for use as ringtones. Enjoy listening to sounds simultaneously and sharing them with others.

Over 200 bird soundsBird photos includedRingtone compatible audio
🎬 Entertainment
(616)
free with in-app purchases
11
ChirpOMatic - BirdSong USA
ChirpOMatic - BirdSong USA
ChirpOMatic - BirdSong USA
Identify birds by song & call
Free
$4.99 | 100% OFF

Identify North American birds by their songs and calls. Simply record the sound, and the app analyzes it to provide species identification, even in noisy environments. Access detailed information and contribute to bird research.

Bird song and call identificationAudio analysis of vocalizationsRanked shortlist for noisy recordings
🔍 Reference
(1.6K)
free with in-app purchases
12
eBird
eBird
eBird
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Free

Easily record bird sightings in the field and contribute to a global database for scientific research and conservation. This app offers offline functionality, customized checklists, and GPS-enabled location plotting.

Record bird observations globallyGlobal taxonomy and local common namesLocation and time-based checklists
🔍 Reference
(781)
free
13
Bird Call Identifier Sounds ID
Bird Call Identifier Sounds ID
Bird Call Identifier Sounds ID
Bird Identifier By Sound ID
Free

Instantly identify birds by their songs or photos using advanced AI. Explore a vast database of over 6,000 species with detailed information and stunning images. Build and manage your personal bird collection with this user-friendly tool.

Identify birds by soundIdentify birds by photoDatabase of 6000+ species
🔍 Reference
(4)
free with in-app purchases
14
Bird Identifier – Sounds,Photo
Bird Identifier – Sounds,Photo
Bird Identifier – Sounds,Photo
Bird Call Identification, ID
Free
📚 Education
(0)
15
Bird Identifier: BirdScope
Bird Identifier: BirdScope
Bird Identifier: BirdScope
Bird Sound ID & Chicken Breed
Free

Instantly identify birds using photos or sound with advanced AI. Explore a comprehensive encyclopedia, access bird watching guides, and build your personal collection of identified species. Discover fun avian facts and connect with a community of bird lovers.

AI-powered photo identificationBird sound recording and identificationExtensive bird encyclopedia
🌟 Lifestyle
(1.4K)
free with in-app purchases
16
Bird Sound Identifier Song ID
Bird Sound Identifier Song ID
Bird Sound Identifier Song ID
Identify Birds by Sound & Call
Free

Identify birds by their songs or images. Access a vast database of over 100,000 species with detailed information, photos, and habitat data. Perfect for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers of all levels.

Identify birds by song or photoDatabase of over 100,000 bird speciesDetailed species information (habitat, behavior, diet)
🔍 Reference
(491)
free with in-app purchases
17
Bird Song Id USA songs & calls
Bird Song Id USA songs & calls
Bird Song Id USA songs & calls
Automatically identify birds
$4.99

Identify birds in the USA by their songs and calls with this app. It offers automatic recognition and an extensive audio library. Perfect for bird watchers of all ages to learn and discover avian species.

Automatic bird song and call identificationExtensive audio reference libraryBird song diary feature
🔍 Reference
(1.4K)
paid
18
Bird Identifier & Guide
Bird Identifier & Guide
Bird Identifier & Guide
Sound Recognition & Guide
Free

Effortlessly identify bird species by photo or sound. Access a comprehensive guide with detailed information on thousands of birds and connect with a community of bird enthusiasts. Enhance your birdwatching adventures with cutting-edge identification technology.

Identify birds by photoIdentify birds by soundExtensive bird database
🔍 Reference
(9)
free with in-app purchases
19
Bird Identifier, Bird Id
Bird Identifier, Bird Id
Bird Identifier, Bird Id
Bird Identification, Birding
Free

Instantly identify birds from a single photo using AI. Get detailed information on each bird, save your discoveries, and share them with friends. Perfect for bird watchers and nature lovers.

AI-powered bird identificationDetailed bird informationSave and share identifications
🔍 Reference
(1.8K)
free with in-app purchases
20
Birdbuddy: ID & Collect Birds
Birdbuddy: ID & Collect Birds
Birdbuddy: ID & Collect Birds
Identify by photo & sound
Free

Instantly identify bird species using your phone's camera or microphone, or through a smart feeder. Collect digital postcards, learn fascinating facts, and contribute to conservation efforts with this global birdwatching community app.

Identify birds by photo or soundSmart feeder integrationCollect and learn bird facts
📚 Education
(60K)
free with in-app purchases

FAQ about Free Bird Call Identification

What are the best free bird call identification apps for iPhone?
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab tops our free bird call identification apps ranking as of July 2026, with a 4.9-star average from 109K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab shows ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of July 2026.
We track 196+ free bird call identification apps on the iOS App Store as of July 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
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.
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.