Merlin Apps for Bird Identification: Seeing and Hearing

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Biological Diversity, Nature, Wildlife

Ed Hessler

A free app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology now identifies bird sounds in real time, using AI technology. From the press release:

" Hear a bird singing? Today with the free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, you can make a quantum leap in bird identification just by holding up your phone. As Merlin listens with you it uses AI technology to identify each species like magic, displaying in real time a list and photos of the birds that are singing or calling.

"Merlin can now help you identify more than 400 bird species by sound throughout the United States and Canada (with more species and regions to come), adding to features that already enable you to identify 7,500 species around the world based on your bird photos or descriptions." And here are a few features: 

·  Customized to your backyard or wherever you travel so you’ll always have a bird guide in your pocket.  

·  Intelligent results. Merlin shows the birds near you that match your description, photo, or sound recording. No more scanning through hundreds of possibilities!  

·  Merlin is the only app that uses advanced AI technology to help you identify a bird in a photo or a sound recording.  

·  Expert ID tips, range maps, photos, and sounds help you learn even more about the birds you spot.  

·  Merlin lets you build a life list! Save the birds you identify to keep track of the birds you’ve seen.  

·  Merlin is completely free!  

Here are the details.