- PriceFree
- CategoryReference
- First releasedDecember 11, 2013
- Versions2 archived
- Installable2 of 2
- AvailabilityStill on the App Store
- SellerCornell University
- Bundle IDedu.cornell.birds.merlin
RequirementsCompatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iOS 7.0 or later.
Something off?
Report an issueWhat'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 Bird ID 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.
Chart History
Ratings Over Time
| Date | Version | Rating | Ratings | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2018 | — | ★ 4.8 | 7,373 | Free |
| November 26, 2020 | — | ★ 4.8 | 25,726 | Free |
| December 5, 2024 | 3.5 | ★ 4.9 | 103,186 | Free |
| December 8, 2024 | 3.5 | ★ 4.9 | 103,221 | Free |
| December 11, 2024 | 3.5 | ★ 4.9 | 103,234 | Free |
From archived App Store listing data, captured by the Wayback Machine.
Archived Reviews
8 of 15My frontal lobe finished developing recently and like clockwork I immediately took an interest in birds. One day I woke up to the usual tapestry of Seattle birdsong and I thought to myself: “Wouldn’t it be great if there was Shazam but for birds?”, and voila! — My wish was answered. This app perfectly meets the need. I am indeed excited to Shazam as many birds as possible now. Well done mates!!
When you think Merlin has identified a bird but you want to use the sound option to hear what it should sound like and scroll down to Sounds, the sound doesn’t work. And one more thing: when Merlin has identified some birds and you leave the app for a while, when you come back to the app, what it identified has disappeared!
We enjoy using the app when on walks or visiting new areas. Especially for finding out which bird songs we’re hearing.
This is the best app! I have learned so much about birds! The sound ID feature is amazing, I call it “Shazam for birds” the photo ID feature comes in handy too! If you want to get offline and more in touch with nature, this is YOUR app! 10/10
Love this, I recommend to everyone who’s wanting to find out what type of bird you’re hearing or seeing. It’s fun, and educational. Can’t hear those word’s from sitting inside! Let’s make this app get to a 5 star rating! :D
This is the best bird app ever, but there’s just one problem I have an iPad Air Wi-Fi edition it works the Merlin bird ID app and eBird app seamlessly work together without any problems, but I have a cellular and Wi-Fi ninth generation iPad that whenever I started a checklist on my eBird app, I go into the Merlin Bird ID app to take some photos and send it to the eBird app, but some of those don’t work anymore for some birds, but on my iPad Air it works flawlessly with all birds i’m sorry if there is any typos, I’m just 8
so much fun to use this and learn about what birds are around you. helps to keep the mind grounded and your spirit a little closer to nature, even in the big city.
I’ve used this for a handful of years, well, maybe like 3. I loved it!! Easy to use and you could even go back to see which birds were identified from previous days. I can’t do that now! I can’t even go back to identify what’s been recorded, it doesn’t save it. I don’t always have time to go through all the birds recorded, until later. But alas, the recording are gone and no matter how I try to search, there’s no way to locate them. I just get a list of birds that couple “possibly “ be in my location. I used to recommend this to friends, but no longer
Period reviews recovered from Apple's customer-review feeds via the Wayback Machine.