Merlin Bird ID App: Your Magical Guide to Birdwatching and Identification

In the world around us, there are countless everyday dramas playing out – the bustling evening traffic, birds returning to their nests, solitary hunters searching for worms, and the vibrant sounds of young parents and rival suitors. These natural spectacles are available for anyone to enjoy without spending a fortune.

However, identifying the creatures responsible for these sights and sounds can be a challenge. While some birds, like blue jays, are easy to recognize, distinguishing a raven from a crow or a swallow from a swift requires knowledge and expertise that not everyone possesses. Field guides for birds are helpful, but not everyone has access to one.

Imagine if there was a tool that could simplify this process and give you the ability to identify almost any bird in your backyard with just a single button press. Enter the Merlin Bird ID app, created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which is like a magical wizard opening up the world of feathered friends to you.

The app’s popularity has soared, with over 12 million downloads, thanks to its ingenious use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and a global community of bird enthusiasts. Originally capable of identifying around 400 bird species, it has evolved to encompass an astounding 10,315 species, thanks to the contributions of its three million active users. These users have submitted 55,000 photos and 26,000 audio recordings, which form the backbone of the app’s extensive database.

Merlin offers several methods for identifying birds: by sight, sound, or answering a set of questions about the bird you’ve observed. The star feature is Sound ID, which grants the ability to identify birds based on their songs or calls, a feat once deemed impossible in the birding community.

The brilliance of Sound ID lies in its conversion of live bird sounds into images called spectrograms, which are then processed through a machine-learning engine. This allows the app to find possible matches in its dataset rapidly. The app also leverages the massive number of bird observations from global bird enthusiasts using the eBird observation platform to narrow down the potential bird species in your vicinity.

Using Merlin is a truly enriching experience. Whether you’re using the Photo ID feature to snap a picture of a bird and get an accurate identification or activating Sound ID to immerse yourself in the symphony of birdsongs, the app connects you to the world of birdlife in an unforgettable way.

Swiping through an array of stunning bird photos, listening to their songs, and learning from fellow birders’ insights creates a sense of belonging and excitement. With Merlin Bird ID, you can become an expert in bird identification and embark on an exciting journey into the avian realm right from your own backyard.