Have you ever seen an amazing bird and wished you knew what species it was? I often do when I’m out hiking or even in my yard. I have tried a number of bird ID apps but it was always difficult to figure out what species it was before it flew away. The Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell lab of Ornithology was the perfect answer to my problem. Merlin is a free, easy to use bird identification app that is perfect for beginner birders. Merlin quickly helps to identify North America’s most common birds.

Although bird ID guides are helpful as a beginner birder, it can be quite difficult to identify a bird when all you know is the size and color. But with Merlin that’s all you need! Merlin uses eBird (a database of sightings from birders around the world) to select the most likely species for your area on that day. The app asks you five simple questions to help narrow down the search. Where and when did you see the bird, what size and colour was the bird, and what was the bird doing. Once you answer these questions Merlin creates a list of possibilities, which you can look through to find your match! I love this feature because it is so much easier to browse through five or six suggestions then it is to search through the entire list. I also really like that Merlin provides the calls and songs of each bird because it can further help narrow down the choices. There are often times when I have narrowed down my search to two or three birds and playing back the call has helped me determine which species I’m looking at.

So now when I find myself wondering what species a particular bird is, I can find the answer. Once I was overwhelmed by how many species I didn’t recognize, now the app helps me easily learn about new birds. I appreciate the convenience and ease of use, and having the bird calls and songs is a really useful feature. I have tried a variety of bird ID apps but I have found Merlin to be the most user friendly and effective when identifying birds. Happy birding!

Learn more about the Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell lab of Ornithology:

— Sarantia Katsaras