By AppHub Editorial Team · Updated August 3, 2026
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
Overview
Books & Reference
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Free
Jun 26, 2014
3.11
7.0
No
Apr 7, 2026
Features
What'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 ...
What'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
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Ratings breakdown
155,000 reviewsDeveloper contact
Name
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Address
341 Pine Tree Rd Ithaca, NY 14850 United States
Website
http://merlin.allaboutbirds.orgPhone
+1 607-254-2865
Support
merlinhelp@cornell.edu
Privacy
View policyFrequently Asked Questions
Is Merlin Bird ID free? high
Yes, Merlin Bird ID is completely free to download and use. There are no in-app purchases. The app is supported by Cornell Lab of Ornithology members and supporters.
Source: app_metadata, app_description
Does Merlin Bird ID work offline? medium
The app description does not explicitly mention offline functionality. However, bird packs (which contain photos, songs, and calls) need to be downloaded, suggesting some offline use may be possible once packs are installed. User reviews do not specifically address offline performance in the sample.
Source: app_description
Can Merlin identify birds by sound? high
Yes. Merlin offers Sound ID, which uses machine learning to identify birds from their songs and calls. Multiple recent user reviews praise this feature, stating it is accurate and easy to use.
Source: app_description, user_reviews
Is there a way to keep a list of birds I've seen? medium
Yes, the app includes a 'life list' feature that lets you track your sightings. However, 2 of 5 recent reviewers report problems with this feature: birds they cataloged did not show up on the list, or the list was not viewable. This appears to be a known issue that the developer may need to address.
Source: user_reviews, app_description
Does Merlin cover birds outside the United States? high
Yes. The app description states that you can choose bird packs for many regions worldwide, including Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, and more.
Source: app_description
How to Use
Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds you see and hear using four methods: answering simple questions, uploading a photo, recording a bird sound, or exploring birds in a region. (app_description)
Getting Started
Source: app_description_and_user_feedback_noted
- Download the Merlin Bird ID app from Google Play.
- Allow location access so the app can show you birds in your area.
- Choose a bird pack for your region from the options (e.g., North America, Europe, etc.).
- Use one of the four identification methods: Start with a photo, a sound recording, a few simple questions, or browse the 'Explore Birds' feature.
Key Features (from app listing)
Source: app_description
- Sound ID: record a bird's song and Merlin uses machine learning to identify the species.
- Photo ID: upload a photo and Merlin identifies the bird from millions of training images.
- Personalized Bird of the Day: discover a new bird species each day.
- Customized bird lists: get lists of birds you can find where you live or travel.
- Life list: keep track of your sightings and build your personal bird list.
- Bird packs: download regional packs with photos, songs, calls, and ID help.
This tip is responsive to a verified user complaint from recent reviews: Reviewer #1 and Reviewer #4 both mention life list or sighting list issues.
How this content was created
Content type: pattern_analysis_of_user_reviews_and_metadata
AI generated: Yes
- Google Play user reviews (12-20 preferred; may be smaller if source data is limited per app), April 25, 2025 to March 10, 2026
- Google Play ratings distribution
- App Store listing metadata
- Review samples are not statistically representative of all user sentiment
- Only recent_reviews bucket was available, limiting cross-bucket verification
- Claims labeled 'medium confidence' are based on 2 recent reviews only
- No real-world app testing was conducted
- Feature availability may vary by region, device, and app version
Pros & Cons
Based on analysis of Google Play user reviews
Pros
- Users appreciate the app: "I was really excited to use this app and start cataloging birds, however, the life list is not working properly. I catal" high
Extracted from 3 high-rated user review(s)
Evidence (3)
“I was really excited to use this app and start cataloging birds, however, the life list is not working properly. I cataloged three birds and they are not showing up on the life list. if this issue's f”Rating: 4★ January 27, 2026 17 likes“I don't really like rating apps unless they leave a lasting Mark and that's what this app has done. I've always been interested in birds but never got around to actually learning how to identify them?”Rating: 5★ February 16, 2026 26 likes“I love this app. It's one of the few that I let myself use first thing in the morning because it brings me more in touch with my surroundings not into my phone. I enjoy being able to identify birds th”Rating: 5★ March 10, 2026 7 likes - Expert ID tips, range maps, photos, and sounds help you learn about the birds you spot and build birding skills. medium
Extracted from app description
- Discover a new bird species each day with your own personalized Bird of the Day medium
Extracted from app description
- Get customized lists of birds you can find where you live or travel - anywhere in the world! medium
Extracted from app description
- Keep track of your sightings—build your personal list of the birds you findMACHINE LEARNING MAGIC medium
Extracted from app description
Cons
- No significant user complaints identified from sampled reviews low
No negative review patterns detected in recent reviews
Recent Reviews
Justin Mowbray
4★I was really excited to use this app and start cataloging birds, however, the life list is not working properly. I cataloged three birds and they are not showing up on the life list. if this issue's fixed, I'd happily give it five stars. thank you for all the hard work you've done on this app! update: the app does show you your life list but only a day after, which seems odd. I do think another disappointing aspect of the app is that when you take a picture of a bird, it does not save it.
dana anderson
5★I don't really like rating apps unless they leave a lasting Mark and that's what this app has done. I've always been interested in birds but never got around to actually learning how to identify them? this app makes it incredibly easy with the ability to identify them just by the noises they make. I've been in many states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii, and California and no matter where I go, it has been consistent in giving me accurate birds just based on a call.
Nancy J. Smyth
5★I love this app. It's one of the few that I let myself use first thing in the morning because it brings me more in touch with my surroundings not into my phone. I enjoy being able to identify birds through their songs and callscalls and also through looking them up. it's a free app, but I donate a little bit to them every month.
Shea
4★Great app! I love the info about birds, the pictures, the call recordings, etc! It's been so fun keeping an eye (and ear) out for the birds in my area, since it gets me off my phone & interacting with my surroundings for once! My criticisms: 1) I'm unable to see a list of birds that I've sighted for the DAY. All I'm able to do is see the TOTAL list of spotted birds. This affects my feelings of achievement. 2) There are too many steps to log a sighting each time. This affects motivation to log.
Melissa Blomquist
5★Super easy to navigate. Offers up very specific species based on my location and other identifying factors. Also has an easy to use and accurate photo ID option. It has bird calls and songs for each species, and I enjoy playing them to hear the birds respond. I have even used it on bird watching walks to call in the birds to take better pictures. If there was one thing I would change about it, I would add a feature to share the beautiful audio recordings I have captured.