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Best Merlin Bird Apps

250+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.2 avg rating
19 free apps
Updated August 2026

The best merlin bird apps on iPhone average 4.2★ across 250+ titles — we've ranked them by what real users actually keep on their phones. Updated August 2026.

Compare top Merlin Bird 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
3Audubon Bird GuideAudubon Bird GuideFree4.3★ (4.5K)YesNoAug 2026
4PictureThis - Plant IdentifierPictureThis - Plant IdentifierFree4.8★ (1.1M)NoYesAug 2026
5eBirdeBirdFree3.8★ (797)NoNoAug 2026
6Picture Bird: Bird identifierPicture Bird: Bird identifierFree4.7★ (40K)NoYesAug 2026
7Bird Song Identifier・Sounds IDBird Song Identifier・Sounds IDFree—NoYesAug 2026
8Identify Birds – Smart Bird IDIdentify Birds – Smart Bird IDFree4.7★ (17K)NoYesAug 2026

Top Picks for Merlin Bird

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
#94in 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
Audubon Bird Guide#3

Audubon Bird Guide by National Audubon Society

Identify over 800 bird species
Worth Considering
🔍 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

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

More Merlin Bird apps to explore

4
PictureThis - Plant Identifier
PictureThis - Plant Identifier
PictureThis - Plant Identifier
Plant care and identification
Free

Instantly identify millions of plants with high accuracy and receive personalized care advice. Diagnose plant diseases, get watering reminders, and learn about toxic plants to keep your greenery healthy and your family safe.

Plant identificationDisease diagnosis & cureCare tips & reminders
📚 Education
(1.1M)
free with in-app purchases
5
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
6
Picture Bird: Bird identifier
Picture Bird: Bird identifier
Picture Bird: Bird identifier
Bird Sound & Image ID, 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
(40K)
free with in-app purchases
7
Bird Song Identifier・Sounds ID
Bird Song Identifier・Sounds ID
Bird Song Identifier・Sounds ID
Picture Identify Birds Calls
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
8
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
9
Identify Bird
Identify Bird
Identify Bird
Bird Identifier by photo
Free

Effortlessly identify birds from photos with an extensive database and detailed information on diet and behavior. Access educational resources to enhance your bird watching knowledge and skills. Designed for ease of use for all nature enthusiasts.

Effortless bird identification from photosExtensive global bird species databaseLearn bird diet and behavior
📚 Education
(0)
free with in-app purchases
10
Collins British Bird Guide
Collins British Bird Guide
Collins British Bird Guide
A field guide to Britain
$7.99
$9.99 | 20% OFF

Explore British and Irish birds with detailed illustrations, authoritative text, and sound recordings. Search by location, time, or plumage, and record your sightings. An AI-powered identification tool is available via subscription.

Detailed illustrationsAuthoritative bird textSound recordings of songs and calls
🔍 Reference
(1)
free with in-app purchases
11
Bird Sound Identifier: Call ID
Bird Sound Identifier: Call ID
Bird Sound Identifier: Call ID
AI Song, Photo & Species Guide
Free

Identify birds by their song or photo using advanced AI. Explore a vast sound library and learn detailed information about hundreds of species. Perfect for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.

Sound recognition for birdsongPhoto recognition for bird identificationColor-based bird search
📚 Education
(3)
subscription
12
Kestrel: Background Bird ID
Kestrel: Background Bird ID
Kestrel: Background Bird ID
Keep your focus on nature
Free
🔍 Reference
(0)
13
Ptashka: Bird Sonar
Ptashka: Bird Sonar
Ptashka: Bird Sonar
Find out which bird is singing
Free

Identify birds by their songs using advanced AI, even without an internet connection. Map your past sightings and explore detailed information on over 6,000 species worldwide to enhance your birdwatching adventures.

Offline bird identification by songAI-powered species recognitionObservation mapping of sightings
🔍 Reference
(1)
free
14
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
15
Bird Identifier — BirdPulse
Bird Identifier — BirdPulse
Bird Identifier — BirdPulse
Photo and Song ID Field Guide
Free
🔍 Reference
(0)
16
Bird Identifier: Picture sound
Bird Identifier: Picture sound
Bird Identifier: Picture sound
Identify, ID and Call, Birding
Free

Instantly identify birds by sight or sound using advanced AI. Explore detailed profiles, learn about their habitats and songs, and create personalized birding journals to track your discoveries.

Instant bird identification by photoIdentify birds by sound recordingDetailed bird profiles
📚 Education
(5)
free with in-app purchases
17
Bird identifier º
Bird identifier º
Bird identifier º
Bird count - bird call
Free
🎬 Entertainment
(0)
18
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
19
BirdEye - Bird ID & Journal
BirdEye - Bird ID & Journal
BirdEye - Bird ID & Journal
Snap, identify, journal birds
Free

Instantly identify birds from photos using AI and create a personal journal of your sightings. Track your progress, unlock achievements, and learn more about avian species worldwide. Perfect for nature enthusiasts and backyard birders.

AI bird identificationBirding journalCloud sync
🔍 Reference
(1)
freemium
20
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

FAQ about Merlin Bird

What are the best merlin bird apps for iPhone?
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab tops our merlin bird apps ranking as of August 2026, with a 4.9-star average from 111K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 19 of the top merlin bird 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 250+ merlin bird 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.

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