Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab - Bird identification guide

Discover the identity of birds effortlessly with Merlin, the premier bird app worldwide. With Merlin Bird ID, unravel the mystery just like magic.

Merlin Bird ID assists in recognizing birds through sight and sound. Unique from other bird apps, Merlin is fueled by eBird, the largest collection of bird sightings, sounds, and images globally.

Merlin boasts of four entertaining methods to identify birds - answer a few questions, submit a photo, capture a singing bird, or explore birds in a specific region.

Whether you are intrigued by a single bird sighting or aim to catalog every bird you encounter, this free app from the esteemed Cornell Lab of Ornithology has all the answers.

REASONS TO ADORE MERLIN

- Proficient identification recommendations, range maps, images, and sounds facilitate learning about observed birds and enhancing birding skills.

- Personalized compilations of birds present in your locality or during your travels.

- Crafted by bird specialists for individuals of all levels.

- Global coverage - locate any bird at any place.

- Monitor your bird sightings - connected to eBird, an international database comprising over 1 billion bird observations!

THE WONDERS OF MACHINE LEARNING

- Driven by Visipedia, Merlin Sound ID, and Photo ID employ advanced machine learning to distinguish birds from photos and sounds. By training on millions of photos and sounds provided by birders at eBird.org and archived in the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Merlin learns to recognize bird species.

- Merlin delivers precise outcomes owing to veteran birders who meticulously curate and annotate sightings, photos, and sounds, constituting the essence of its magic.

Merlin Bird ID FAQs

I can't find a bird in Explore, or I think a bird is missing. Why?

If you search for a bird by name and don’t get any results, try changing the filter settings. Open Explore Birds, tap the filter button in the upper right corner of the screen, switch ‘Refine Bird List’ from Likely Birds to Bird Packs, and then select your bird pack of interest. You can also flip the toggle for All Installed Birds to see all species in your packs at once. Refining by Bird Packs functions like a field guide for all the birds in the pack’s region, and Likely Birds gives you a customized list of birds that are commonly found near you, with bar charts of when they can be seen throughout the year.

Why didn't Merlin list my bird as a possible match?

The first thing to check is whether you have the appropriate Bird Pack installed for your region. If a common bird is not appearing, you may not have it downloaded to your phone. You can download a bird pack for your region in the Settings menu. 

Is Merlin free?

The Merlin app is free to download and use, and Merlin will not ask for your credit card number. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers Merlin Bird ID for free because it’s our mission to advance the understanding and protection of birds.

What do the red and orange dots next to some bird names mean?

These icons tell you if a species is rare (red dot) or uncommon (orange semi-circle) for the bird to be seen at the location and on the date that you selected. The same species that is common in summer might be rare in winter. Merlin knows which species are common or rare based on observations submitted to eBird, a citizen-science project that gathers observations from birders around the world.

Why are some of the bird photos grayed out?

If Merlin seems to be missing photos, or it's asking you to install a bird pack, there may have been an error with the bird pack you installed. You can delete your installed bird pack, and download it again to get the latest photos, sounds, and ID help.

Can I use Merlin when I don't have Internet? 

Do you frequently find yourself off the beaten path, far from reliable internet? Merlin works offline too!

Before you go, work through one test identification using your destination location. Then, when you are offline, you can just select that stored location and Merlin will still do its magic. Merlin will save your six most recent locations, so make sure your offline destination is among those.

ASTOUNDING FEATURES

- Opt for bird packs containing images, songs, calls, and identification support for any part of the world, such as Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, and more.

- Available in various languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hebrew, German, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

The mission of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is to educate you and numerous others about birds. Our non-profit objective to enhance awareness and safeguard birds and nature is made feasible by the generosity of our Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors.