1. Home
  2. Topics
  3. Identify Bird Sounds

Best Identify Bird Sounds Apps

247+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.7 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated August 2026

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab is the household name in identify bird sounds, but it's far from the only option. We track 247+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Compare top Identify Bird Sounds Apps (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Merlin Bird ID by Cornell LabMerlin Bird ID by Cornell LabFree4.9★ (111K)NoNoAug 2026
2Bird Sounds Identifier Call IDBird Sounds Identifier Call IDFree4.7★ (13K)YesYesAug 2026
3Identify Birds – Smart Bird IDIdentify Birds – Smart Bird IDFree4.7★ (17K)NoYesAug 2026
4Bird Sound Identifier Song IDBird Sound Identifier Song IDFree4.3★ (493)YesYesAug 2026
5Audubon Bird GuideAudubon Bird GuideFree4.3★ (4.5K)YesNoAug 2026
6Bird Sounds Calls ChirpsBird Sounds Calls ChirpsFree5.0★ (1)YesYesAug 2026
7Bird Identifier: Bird Sound IDBird Identifier: Bird Sound IDFree5.0★ (1)NoYesAug 2026
8Bird Identifier: Photo & SoundBird Identifier: Photo & SoundFree—YesYesMay 2026

Top Picks for Identify Bird Sounds

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😊(111K ratings)
Free
#11in 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
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID#2

Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID by Nhu Nguyen Thi

Bird Identifier By Sound, Song
Strong Contender
🔍 Reference
4.7😞(13K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
#97in 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
Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID screenshot 6

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
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID#3

Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID by Yellow Cardinal Inc.

From photo or sound. Instantly
Worth Considering
📚 Education
4.7😊(17K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID screenshot 1
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID screenshot 2
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID screenshot 3
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID screenshot 4
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID screenshot 5
Identify Birds – Smart Bird ID screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Terrific app for identifying birds
  • 👍 Helpful for learning about birds
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 👍 Provides detailed information on birds

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 💰 Some features locked behind paywall
  • 🔍 Difficulty isolating bird sounds in noisy environments

More Identify Bird Sounds apps to explore

4
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
(493)
free with in-app purchases
5
Audubon Bird Guide
Audubon Bird Guide
Audubon Bird Guide
Identify over 800 bird species
Free

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.

Bird identification toolDetailed species profilesBird song and call audio
🔍 Reference
(4.5K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Bird Sounds Calls Chirps
Bird Sounds Calls Chirps
Bird Sounds Calls Chirps
Bird Calls and Sounds
Free

Identify and play bird calls with this app. Explore curated collections, build custom playlists, and even get suggestions for unknown bird sounds. Enjoy relaxing nature audio for various activities.

Play bird call collectionsSearch species by name or regionBuild custom bird sound playlists
🎬 Entertainment
(1)
freemium
7
Bird Identifier: Bird Sound ID
Bird Identifier: Bird Sound ID
Bird Identifier: Bird Sound ID
Bird Call Identification App
Free

Instantly identify birds by their song or a photo using advanced AI. Get detailed information and ask an AI chatbot questions about bird species, habitats, and behaviors. Perfect for beginners and experts alike.

AI bird sound recognitionBird identification by photoAI chatbot for bird knowledge
📚 Education
(1)
free with in-app purchases
8
Bird Identifier: Photo & Sound
Bird Identifier: Photo & Sound
Bird Identifier: Photo & Sound
Bird Sounds & Photo Identifier
Free
📚 Education
(0)
9
Bird Sound Identifier BirdNote
Bird Sound Identifier BirdNote
Bird Sound Identifier BirdNote
Identify Bird Call & Photo
Free
🔍 Reference
(0)
10
Bird Sound Identifier Call Id
Bird Sound Identifier Call Id
Bird Sound Identifier Call Id
Song Picture Identification
Free

Identify birds instantly using your phone's camera or microphone. This AI-powered tool provides accurate visual and audio recognition, helping you learn about local wildlife on your nature walks.

Identify birds by photoIdentify birds by soundAccurate visual recognition
🔍 Reference
(1)
subscription
11
BirdScout: Bird Sound ID
BirdScout: Bird Sound ID
BirdScout: Bird Sound ID
Identify bird songs & calls
Free

Identify bird songs and calls instantly using on-device AI, even offline. Explore detailed information on over 10,000 species, track your sightings, and discover birds with interactive maps and daily features.

Instant bird song identificationWorks offlinePersonal life list tracking
🔍 Reference
(4)
freemium
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
(797)
free
13
Bird Call Identifier - Bird ID
Bird Call Identifier - Bird ID
Bird Call Identifier - Bird ID
Song, Sound Identification app
Free

Identify birds by their songs, photos, or descriptions. Explore detailed profiles of over 10,000 species and build your personal life list of sightings. Perfect for beginners and experienced birdwatchers alike.

Identify birds by sound recordingIdentify birds by photoIdentify birds by description
🌟 Lifestyle
(3)
freemium
14
Pio: Bird Sound Identifier
Pio: Bird Sound Identifier
Pio: Bird Sound Identifier
Identify birds by their song
Free
📚 Education
(0)
15
Bird Sounds Northern Europe
Bird Sounds Northern Europe
Bird Sounds Northern Europe
Learn to identify songs
Free

Identify bird songs from Northern Europe with a vast collection of recordings. Features include species names in multiple languages, iCloud syncing, and a dark mode. This comprehensive reference tool is designed for easy navigation and learning.

Nearly 300 species coverageOver 2200 high-quality recordingsSpecies names in 20 languages
🔍 Reference
(1)
free with in-app purchases
16
Bird Identifier AI ~ Sound ID
Bird Identifier AI ~ Sound ID
Bird Identifier AI ~ Sound ID
Identify Bird Sound Identifier
Free

Instantly identify birds by photo, sound, or location. This comprehensive app helps you recognize thousands of species with AI-powered analysis and an extensive bird guide. Perfect for nature enthusiasts of all levels.

Identify birds by photoIdentify birds by soundLocation-based identification
🔍 Reference
(12)
free with in-app purchases
17
Bird Identifier - ChirpReel
Bird Identifier - ChirpReel
Bird Identifier - ChirpReel
Identify birds by sound
Free
📚 Education
(0)
18
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
(212)
free
19
Bird Sound Identifier: Birdio
Bird Sound Identifier: Birdio
Bird Sound Identifier: Birdio
Song & Call ID, Fully Offline
Free

Identify birds by their song, call, or a photo. This app works offline anywhere in the world, providing detailed species cards and allowing you to save identified birds to your personal collection. It offers both free sound identification and a Pro version for enhanced photo identification features.

Offline bird sound identificationPhoto identification of birdsDetailed species information
🔍 Reference
(7)
freemium
20
The Sound Approach: Bird Sound
The Sound Approach: Bird Sound
The Sound Approach: Bird Sound
The world of bird sounds
Free
📚 Education
(0)

FAQ about Identify Bird Sounds

What are the best identify bird sounds apps for iPhone?
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab tops our identify bird sounds apps ranking as of August 2026, with a 4.9-star average from 111K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top identify bird sounds apps we rank are free to download, including Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab and Bird Sounds Identifier Call ID.
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of August 2026.
We track 247+ identify bird sounds apps on the iOS App Store as of August 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.

Related searches

identify bird sounds freeapp to identify bird sounds freeapp to identify bird sounds