Join tens of thousands of birders who already use the Merlin app on their smartphone when they need a little help to identify a new bird or bird song. In short, Merlin helps you identify the birds you see and hear. If you are already a Merlin user, you know the value of this impressive bird identification aid, and with October Big Day coming up, Merlin can be an immediate game-changer for birders across North America, and worldwide! But it's a helpful app to use anytime, and you can consult it to learn more about birds and even find out what birds you can expect to see in a given area.
Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of birders and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in your area – and in any country in the world.
Bird ID Wizard: Identifies birds based on 5 simple questions about a bird's appearance and behavior.
Sound ID: Listens to bird songs and calls and suggests likely species; it also works offline.
Photo ID: Identifies birds from photos you take with your smartphone, or photos imported from your gallery; it also works offline.
Local Bird Lists: Uses eBird data to show birds that are likely to be found in a given area, near or far.
Start by downloading Merlin Bird ID for Free from the App Store or Google Play. In addition to the above list of qualities, when you have identified a bird, tap "This is my bird" in Merlin to keep track of your sightings for the day. If you already use Merlin and eBird, visit your Merlin Settings and choose to save your identifications with eBird to coordinate your sightings on your personal page, and to help biologists learn more about birds from the birding community. Then too, by using this method, when you go birding this Saturday, your sightings will automatically be added to the October Big Day page. Give Merlin a try, and tell others about this fine birding aid, created and provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.