Fruitful Registry
Home › Reference
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab icon

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab

Cornell University
Identify Birds You See & Hear
Open in App Store ↗
US flag US
USen-USCAen-CAGBen-GBDEde-DENLnlAUen-AUFRfr-FRINen-GBSEsvESes-ESDKen-GBCHde-CHBEen-GBBRpt-BRIEen-GBMXes-MXCOes-MXRUruPLen-GBTRen-GBZAen-GBCRes-MXNOen-GBITitCNzh-Hans-CNATde-DEUAen-GBCZen-GBCLes-MXFIen-GBTWzh-Hant-TWJPjaHUen-GBPTpt-PTNZen-AULTen-GBKRkoARes-MXILen-GBHKzh-Hant-HKROen-GBSGen-GBECes-MXGTes-MXBGen-GBLKen-GBSKen-GBPAes-MXLVen-GBTHen-GBUYen-GBPEes-MXBYen-GBEEen-GBHNes-MXMYen-GBHRen-GBGRen-GBSIen-GBAEen-GBLUen-GBPHen-GBSVes-MXBZen-GBKEen-GBGEen-GBIDen-GBKZen-GBPYes-MXRSen-GBUGen-GBPKen-GBISen-GBNIes-MXSAen-GBTZen-GBVNen-GBKWen-GBAMen-GBNPen-GBVEes-MXCYen-GBNAen-GBEGen-GBDOes-MXMTen-GBTTen-GBBOes-MXBSen-GBBWen-GBMDen-GBBHen-GBJOen-GBKHen-GBQAen-GBRWen-GBZMen-GBZWen-GBALen-GBBBen-GBBMen-GBJMen-GBKYen-GBMGen-GBOMen-GBAZen-GBGHen-GBKGen-GBMAen-GBMNen-GBMOzh-Hant-HKMWen-GBNGen-GBTJen-GBUZen-GBAGen-GBBAen-GBDZen-GBGYen-GBLBen-GBLRen-GBMKen-GBMSen-GBMUen-GBMZen-GBSNen-GBSRen-GBTCen-GBTNen-GBAFen-GBAIen-GBAOen-GBBFen-GBBJen-GBBNen-GBBTen-GBCDen-GBCGen-GBCIfr-FRCMfr-FRCVen-GBDMen-GBFJen-GBFMen-GBGAfr-FRGDen-GBGMen-GBGWen-GBIQen-GBKNen-GBLAen-GBLCen-GBLYen-GBMEen-GBMLen-GBMMen-GBMRen-GBMVen-GBNEen-GBNRen-GBPGen-GBPWen-GBSBen-GBSCen-GBSLen-GBSTen-GBSZen-GBTDen-GBTMen-GBTOen-GBVCen-GBVGen-GBVUen-GBXKen-GBYEen-GB
175 of 175 storefronts
Content in en-US
108.5k Ratings
4.9
★★★★★
Age Rating
4+
Years
Developer
Cornell University
Language
EN
+30 More
Size
372
MB

Information

Apple ID773457673
Bundle IDedu.cornell.birds.merlin
SellerSeller
Min iOS18.0
Min macOS15.0
Device familiesiphone
Released2013-12-11
Copyright© Cornell University
WebsiteLink ↗
Privacy policyLink ↗

Preview 1 platform

banner

iPhone 8 images

iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot
iPhone screenshot

What’s New Version 3.9

What’s new in 3.9: Observation Deck: Your Merlin home screen now features a swipeable daily feed showcasing Bird of the Day, stunning featured photos, and bite-sized bird tips! Each contains a full-screen view for photos and videos, plus a "Learn more" button to dive deeper into species accounts or related content. Habitat Photos: Discover where birds live with our new carousel of habitat photos curated for a subset of species, making it easier than ever to find the birds near you or further afield! New language support for Kyrgyz and Welsh. Improvements and new species added to Photo ID. Bug fixes and improvements.

Description

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 • Expert ID tips, range maps, photos, and sounds help you learn about the birds you spot and build birding skills. • Discover a new bird species each day with your own personalized Bird of the Day • Get customized lists of birds you can find where you live or travel - anywhere in the world! • Keep track of your sightings—build your personal list of the birds you find MACHINE LEARNING MAGIC • Powered by Visipedia, Merlin Sound ID and Photo ID uses machine learning to identify birds in photos and sounds. Merlin learns to recognize bird species based on training sets of millions of photos and sounds collected by birders at eBird.org, archived in the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. • Merlin delivers the most accurate results thanks to experienced birders, who curate and annotate sightings, photos, and sounds, who are the true magic behind Merlin. AMAZING CONTENT • Merlin has bird photos, songs, and calls, and identification help for anywhere in the world, including Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, and more. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds and nature. We are able to offer Merlin for free thanks to the generosity of Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors.

Accessibility

ipadiphonemacrealityDevicetvoswatch

Version history 25 versions

Build 885974805v3.92026-05-23 03:01:42
What’s new in 3.9: Observation Deck: Your Merlin home screen now features a swipeable daily feed showcasing Bird of the Day, stunning featured photos, and bite-sized bird tips! Each contains a full-screen view for photos and videos, plus a "Learn more" button to dive deeper into species accounts or related content. Habitat Photos: Discover where birds live with our new carousel of habitat photos curated for a subset of species, making it easier than ever to find the birds near you or further afield! New language support for Kyrgyz and Welsh. Improvements and new species added to Photo ID. Bug fixes and improvements.
Build 884107259v3.8.42026-04-07 02:46:48
What’s new in 3.8.4: Sound ID is better at listening for birds, and now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, Australia, Hawai’i, the Caribbean, Taiwan, and India! A smarter Explore experience. As you travel to new locations, Merlin will keep you updated on birds found in that new spot Improvements and new species added to Photo ID Nearby Places: Get ready to explore! Get seasonal suggestions for nearby places where you can find your Bird of the Day, and other birds you want to see
Build 883599970v3.8.32026-03-24 00:46:20
What’s new in 3.8.3: NEW - Nearby Places: Get ready to explore! Get seasonal suggestions for nearby places where you can find your Bird of the Day, and other birds you want to see. NEW - Streamlined Sound ID: No more surprise piles of random recordings filling up your phone! Now, you choose which recordings are worthy of a spot in your audio aviary. Hear it, love it, save it – simple as that. NEW - Bar Charts: More information about the birds around you. Your likely birds now have bar charts, giving a quick summary of when you are most likely to see these birds. Expanded Common Name Languages: We’re proud to introduce common bird names in Tajik! Happy birding!
Build 882720997v3.8.22026-03-08 01:03:43
What’s new in 3.8.2: NEW - Streamlined Sound ID: No more surprise piles of random recordings filling up your phone! Now, you choose which recordings are worthy of a spot in your audio aviary. Hear it, love it, save it – simple as that. NEW - Bar Charts: More information about the birds around you. Your likely birds now have bar charts, giving a quick summary of when you are most likely to see these birds. Expanded Common Name Languages: We’re proud to introduce common bird names in Tajik! Happy birding!
Build 881329337v3.8.12026-01-20 14:15:34
What’s new in 3.8.1: New Species in Sound ID. Merlin can identify over 2000 species in Sound ID, with new species across South America, India, Taiwan, Australia, and more! New Languages: Merlin is now available in Dutch, Polish, and Swedish!
Build 880571389v3.82025-12-19 14:15:04
What’s new in 3.8: General bug fixes and performance improvements to improve your daily birding!
Build 879595560v3.7.52025-11-19 16:42:05
What’s new in 3.7.5: New Species in Sound ID! This version adds 342 new species to Sound ID across South America, India, Taiwan, Australia, and more! Bug fixes: Fixes for taxonomy update process Also included from 3.7.3 and 3.7.4: Updated bird content - help us welcome the hottest new species of 2025! Performance fixes for Explore
Build 879406193v3.7.42025-11-02 00:55:38
What’s new in 3.7.4: New Species in Sound ID! This version adds 342 new species to Sound ID across South America, India, Taiwan, Australia, and more! Bug fixes: Fixes for taxonomy update process Also included from 3.7.3 Updated bird content - help us welcome the hottest new species of 2025! Performance fixes for Explore
Build 879366800v3.7.32025-10-31 13:50:12
What's new in 3.7.3: Updated bird content - help us welcome the hottest new species of 2025! Performance fixes for Explore
Build 877193803v3.7.22025-10-23 16:46:48
What's new in 3.7.2: Bird Content Updates: Improvements to the way Merlin updates content, so you always have the latest bird info at your fingertips Listening Now: On the home page, now you can see how many Merlin users are currently listening to birds across the globe.
Build 876356142v3.7.12025-07-14 19:12:46
What's new in 3.7: ID Tips: Enjoy bite-sized bits of birding joy as you listen! While running Sound ID, keep an eye out for short videos and photos that will help you identify and learn more about the birds you are hearing. Improved Search on Explore Species: Discover bird species near you, at different times of the year, and in any other location in the world with a new, expanded search feature! Sound ID now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, India, Taiwan, and Australia!
Build 876111764v3.72025-07-05 03:01:08
What's new in 3.7: ID Tips: Enjoy bite-sized bits of birding joy as you listen! While running Sound ID, keep an eye out for short videos and photos that will help you identify and learn more about the birds you are hearing. Improved Search on Explore Species: Discover bird species near you, at different times of the year, and in any other location in the world with a new, expanded search feature! Sound ID now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, India, Taiwan, and Australia!
Build 874284461v3.6.12025-04-25 17:35:37
Get ready for bird migration with better ID tools and flexible downloads! - Sound ID update: Merlin is now more responsive, so you’ll see more IDs as Merlin listens to the birds around you. - Photo ID update: Trained in bird ID with over 6 million practice photos, Merlin can identify your photos better now than ever before. - Smaller and more flexible downloads: Download bird info as you go, or download information for a whole region at once for offline use!
Build 870378148v3.62025-04-21 19:46:25
Get ready for bird migration with better ID tools and flexible downloads! - Sound ID update: Merlin is now more responsive, so you’ll see more IDs as Merlin listens to the birds around you. - Photo ID update: Trained in bird ID with over 6 million practice photos, Merlin can identify your photos better now than ever before. - Smaller and more flexible downloads: Download bird info as you go, or download information for a whole region at once for offline use!
Build 870342573v3.52024-11-12 21:50:09
Life List Suggestions: Wondering what new bird to find next? Merlin now suggests birds you’re likely to discover or identify nearby. Photo ID Update: Merlin can help you identify bird photos with more confidence with a new update to Photo ID. Picture-Perfect Bird Lists: Merlin now comes with a small image for each bird. Download a bird pack to get more images, songs, and calls!
Build 869217374v3.42024-10-09 10:57:25
Share Your Birding Finds! We’ve made sharing your birding discoveries easier and more fun.  Here’s what’s new: Share That Bird!: Send bird sightings straight to friends, social media, or birding groups. Life Bird Alert: Share new sightings with a tap and celebrate new finds. Bird of the Day: Show off your daily bird, and brag to your friends when you've found yours! Improvements: Bug fixes and performance tweaks for smoother birding. Happy birding!
Build 868972786v3.3.12024-09-13 15:20:46
Bird of the Day challenge: a new bird each day to learn about and find nearby. Head outside and see if you can find the featured bird in your area! Updated Translations: Merlin is now available in Zulu! Bug Fixes: We’ve also squashed some bugs and made performance improvements to keep Merlin running smoothly. Happy birding!
Build 868240880v3.32024-09-10 23:11:21
-Bird of the Day challenge: a new bird each day to learn about and find nearby. Head outside and see if you can find the featured bird in your area! -Updated Translations: Merlin is now available in Zulu! -Bug Fixes: We’ve also squashed some bugs and made performance improvements to keep Merlin running smoothly. Happy birding!
Build 866478905v3.22024-07-15 14:29:52
Location, Location, Location! Approximate Location Magic: Merlin now works its wonders with just an approximate location. Easier to start, smoother to use! No Location? No Worries! Even without location data, you can set your spot on the map and let Merlin do its thing, providing top-notch answers every time. Smoother Messaging Sound ID Enhancements: We’ve polished our messaging for areas where Sound ID isn’t supported, giving you clearer info and a better user experience. Upgrade to 3.2 now and dive into a more flexible, privacy-friendly, and user-centric Merlin!
Build 865664218v3.1.12024-05-22 11:24:16
This update includes a few improvements and bug fixes, including: - New Ukrainian translations now available - Fixed a bug that didn’t allow saving sightings from Sound ID or Explore - Formatting updates on the Bird Packs screens - Fixed translations for range maps
Build 865165863v3.12024-04-30 05:12:05
Merlin has a new look! The layout of Merlin has been updated to make the app more intuitive, faster to use, and easier to learn about the birds around you. Introducing Your Bird of the Day Get ready to discover a new bird every day with a personalized Bird of the Day picked just for you. Explore Species While You Listen Hear a new bird with Sound ID? Now you can read more about the species without stopping recording, so you don’t miss out on other IDs. Accessibility Improvements Merlin’s new layout is more compatible with accessibility features, including more dynamic text sizes. We periodically release fixes and updates to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you identify more birds. Your feedback and support drive our ongoing efforts to create a better birding experience for everyone. Stay tuned for more updates, improvements, and exciting features!
Build 863321847v3.0.52024-02-01 14:20:43
Two minor bug fixes: - Bluetooth access will now only be requested when enabling Swarovski devices - Bird names are now available in Simplified Chinese again We periodically release fixes and tweaks to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you identify more birds. Your feedback and support drive our ongoing efforts to create a better birding experience for everyone. Stay tuned for more updates, improvements, and exciting features!
Build 862217114v3.0.42024-01-07 16:00:34
Updated support for connected devices. We periodically release fixes and tweaks to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you identify more birds. Your feedback and support drive our ongoing efforts to create a better birding experience for everyone. Stay tuned for more updates, improvements, and exciting features!
Build 861223607v3.0.32023-11-27 13:59:24
We periodically release fixes and tweaks to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you identify more birds.
Build 860832216v3.0.22023-10-23 15:54:24
Updated Sound ID Model (v34): Merlin can now identify over 1200 species by sound! We added over 150 new species to sound ID in this update, including fan-favorites like Wilson’s Plover, Flame-colored Tanager, and New Zealand Fantail. New translation: Merlin is now available in Thai!

No pricing data captured yet — comparisons appear once the app has paid storefronts or in-app purchases.

Availability 175 of 175 storefronts

RegionLanguagePriceRatingsAvgVersion
US en-USFree108.5k4.93.9
CA en-CAFree13.7k4.83.9
GB en-GBFree9.6k4.83.9
DE de-DEFree2.0k4.83.9
NL nlFree1.6k4.83.9
AU en-AUFree1.2k4.73.9
FR fr-FRFree1.1k4.93.9
IN en-GBFree9484.93.9
SE svFree9104.83.9
ES es-ESFree7334.83.9
DK en-GBFree7264.83.9
CH de-CHFree5874.83.9
BE en-GBFree5804.83.9
BR pt-BRFree5714.93.9
IE en-GBFree5524.83.9
MX es-MXFree5394.93.9
CO es-MXFree4054.93.9
RU ruFree3944.83.9
PL en-GBFree3884.83.9
TR en-GBFree3754.93.9
ZA en-GBFree3394.53.9
CR es-MXFree3194.93.9
NO en-GBFree2524.83.9
IT itFree2364.93.9
CN zh-Hans-CNFree2324.83.9
AT de-DEFree2234.93.9
UA en-GBFree2214.93.9
CZ en-GBFree2204.83.9
CL es-MXFree2134.93.9
FI en-GBFree2084.73.9
TW zh-Hant-TWFree1974.83.9
JP jaFree1874.13.9
HU en-GBFree1824.93.9
PT pt-PTFree1634.93.9
NZ en-AUFree1224.83.9
LT en-GBFree1054.93.9
KR koFree1014.93.9
AR es-MXFree934.73.9
IL en-GBFree924.73.9
HK zh-Hant-HKFree904.83.9
RO en-GBFree894.93.9
SG en-GBFree794.63.9
EC es-MXFree714.83.9
GT es-MXFree634.93.9
BG en-GBFree574.93.9
LK en-GBFree524.83.9
SK en-GBFree484.93.9
PA es-MXFree474.73.9
LV en-GBFree444.93.9
TH en-GBFree404.83.9
UY en-GBFree394.93.9
PE es-MXFree384.73.9
BY en-GBFree374.83.9
EE en-GBFree374.83.9
HN es-MXFree374.93.9
MY en-GBFree344.53.9
HR en-GBFree334.83.9
GR en-GBFree324.83.9
SI en-GBFree325.03.9
AE en-GBFree305.03.9
LU en-GBFree264.53.9
PH en-GBFree264.63.9
SV es-MXFree255.03.9
BZ en-GBFree234.93.9
KE en-GBFree214.73.9
GE en-GBFree195.03.9
ID en-GBFree184.83.9
KZ en-GBFree164.63.9
PY es-MXFree164.93.9
RS en-GBFree164.93.9
UG en-GBFree164.63.9
PK en-GBFree143.63.9
IS en-GBFree124.93.9
NI es-MXFree124.83.9
SA en-GBFree124.73.9
TZ en-GBFree123.43.9
VN en-GBFree124.73.9
KW en-GBFree115.03.9
AM en-GBFree105.03.9
NP en-GBFree104.83.9
VE es-MXFree104.73.9
CY en-GBFree85.03.9
NA en-GBFree84.63.9
EG en-GBFree74.43.9
DO es-MXFree64.83.9
MT en-GBFree64.83.9
TT en-GBFree64.33.9
BO es-MXFree55.03.9
BS en-GBFree54.63.9
BW en-GBFree55.03.9
MD en-GBFree55.03.9
BH en-GBFree44.83.9
JO en-GBFree44.83.9
KH en-GBFree44.53.9
QA en-GBFree44.33.9
RW en-GBFree45.03.9
ZM en-GBFree45.03.9
ZW en-GBFree44.33.9
AL en-GBFree35.03.9
BB en-GBFree35.03.9
BM en-GBFree35.03.9
JM en-GBFree34.33.9
KY en-GBFree34.73.9
MG en-GBFree33.73.9
OM en-GBFree35.03.9
AZ en-GBFree25.03.9
GH en-GBFree24.03.9
KG en-GBFree25.03.9
MA en-GBFree25.03.9
MN en-GBFree25.03.9
MO zh-Hant-HKFree24.53.9
MW en-GBFree25.03.9
NG en-GBFree25.03.9
TJ en-GBFree25.03.9
UZ en-GBFree25.03.9
AG en-GBFree15.03.9
BA en-GBFree15.03.9
DZ en-GBFree15.03.9
GY en-GBFree15.03.9
LB en-GBFree14.03.9
LR en-GBFree15.03.9
MK en-GBFree15.03.9
MS en-GBFree15.03.9
MU en-GBFree15.03.9
MZ en-GBFree15.03.9
SN en-GBFree14.03.9
SR en-GBFree15.03.9
TC en-GBFree15.03.9
TN en-GBFree14.03.9
AF en-GBFree0—3.9
AI en-GBFree0—3.9
AO en-GBFree0—3.9
BF en-GBFree0—3.9
BJ en-GBFree0—3.9
BN en-GBFree0—3.9
BT en-GBFree0—3.9
CD en-GBFree0—3.9
CG en-GBFree0—3.9
CI fr-FRFree0—3.9
CM fr-FRFree0—3.9
CV en-GBFree0—3.9
DM en-GBFree0—3.9
FJ en-GBFree0—3.9
FM en-GBFree0—3.9
GA fr-FRFree0—3.9
GD en-GBFree0—3.9
GM en-GBFree0—3.9
GW en-GBFree0—3.9
IQ en-GBFree0—3.9
KN en-GBFree0—3.9
LA en-GBFree0—3.9
LC en-GBFree0—3.9
LY en-GBFree0—3.9
ME en-GBFree0—3.9
ML en-GBFree0—3.9
MM en-GBFree0—3.9
MR en-GBFree0—3.9
MV en-GBFree0—3.9
NE en-GBFree0—3.9
NR en-GBFree0—3.9
PG en-GBFree0—3.9
PW en-GBFree0—3.9
SB en-GBFree0—3.9
SC en-GBFree0—3.9
SL en-GBFree0—3.9
ST en-GBFree0—3.9
SZ en-GBFree0—3.9
TD en-GBFree0—3.9
TM en-GBFree0—3.9
TO en-GBFree0—3.9
VC en-GBFree0—3.9
VG en-GBFree0—3.9
VU en-GBFree0—3.9
XK en-GBFree0—3.9
YE en-GBFree0—3.9

Reviews 30 reviews · US

★★★★★
Please add back auto save!!!
I love this app, and use it daily for myself and EBird reports. That said, you recently added a button to save recordings which means it no longer auto saves. Please, please, please add an option in settings to autosave!!! I understand some people may not want to save due to space on their phone, but we had it automatically forever and I just lost a once in a lifetime bird and recording because I clicked out of the app and it didn’t save it. I hate having to think to save every time now anyway. So please add that back, at least as an option in settings for those who want it back! Also, please
birdfeathers2026-05-27
★★★★★
Loving find new birds
My most opened app this year. I love the newest update too! I would really love to see the bird die somewhere close to the name when you hear the birds. For someone who’s new into birding, trying to find the bird I’m hearing, if I knew ahead of time, this bird is the size of a finch, I might try to look a little longer to find something quite small. My example being, yesterday I went out to look for birds and my app kept hearing an American redstart, I kept saying this reminded me of a red wing black bird because of the colors, low and behold this bird is very small! I didn’t expect it to be a
sydbney2026-05-27
★★★★★
Love this app but what happened with the update?
I originally never had to sign in to use the app, or I already had an account and forgot about it but it does not say any of my emails are active accounts so I assume not. I haven’t used it since it has been winter and cold and I have not been outside and then I go to use it an the save feature is different, so I didn’t even end up saving the first one. Also all of my previous logs from last year are now gone. I used those to study the birds in my area and yes, I can just re-record but not when a rare bird comes by on a specific day at a specific time. Just a little bummed that happened but ov
Bobina4202026-05-12
★★★★★
12/10 app. Changed me spiritually.
As a young female, self-appointed ornithologist with absolutely no formal credentials but an alarming amount of confidence, I need to formally report that Merlin Bird ID has fundamentally altered my personality. Before this app, birds were just tiny feathered weirdos staring at me from power lines with absolutely sinister energy. I did not trust them. Why were they screaming at 5:42 a.m. every single day? What emergency meeting was happening outside my window? Why do cardinals always look like they’re one inconvenience away from committing tax fraud? Now? I sit on my patio with my coffee and
KayRenBar2026-05-09
★★★★★
Please make it so you can take photos quicker!
This app is amazing for birdwatching: very clean and simple to use. Highly recommend, though I have only one suggestion. Just today I came across a new bird to add to my life list, and I narrowly missed it because I had to manually select that I wanted to take a photo instead of selecting one!! This has happened many times and each time I’m certain I would’ve made it if it took just one less click to take a photo. That said, the photo selection utility is probably useful for someone; I just don’t think it should appear as an option when pressing the photo icon. Maybe move it slightly to a di
Strength 0012026-05-05
★★★★★
Update looses data
The most recent update really screwed things up. When you stop recording, if you don’t immediately wait for the transcript to be done and then hit save which you can’t do until it gets done moving it then you hit save and wait a long time but if you don’t do that right away, you lose your data cause if soon as you go to another app or the lock screen goes on you’ve lost it if you haven’t had it saved so we’re in the past it saved it automatically. I’m not the only one we were on a four hour bird walk the other day and even the leader didn’t realize that the update screwed you over and we lost
ckayak2026-05-03
★★★★★
Great… could be better
As someone who spends way too much time staring into trees trying to decide if that tiny blur is a warbler or just a leaf, I really do enjoy the Merlin app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The best part is that you do not need expensive microphones, binoculars, or fancy birding gear to use it. You can just pull out your phone, hit sound ID, and suddenly Merlin is telling you there are six birds screaming at each other in the woods that you never would have noticed. That said, I wish Merlin worked a little more like iNaturalist. Right now, it feels like Merlin identifies bird sounds and then t
Animal_Guy2026-04-18
★★★★★
Amazing App - Great Hiking Companion
I don’t typically write reviews for apps but the Merlin Bird ID app has quickly become one of my favorite apps to use on a near-daily basis. I love to go on hikes deep in nature and have always loved the unique calls of the birds around me, and this app has solely taught me so much about the sounds of each bird species, locations, seasons, different looks of said bird species and so on. After just a month of use, I can identify plenty of the bird calls around me when I go on hikes or the ones that are in the tree outside of my bedroom in the morning. I even went golfing recently and was able t
Lgranny432026-04-12
★★★★★
The best app in the whole world!
This app is so great and I love it so much ever since I first download it I’ve been a bird nerd and I know so much more than I did before me my brother and my sister go out looking for birds and it’s really fun and I always carry my device with me so I can have this app. I really love this app because I can see what birds are singing in my yard or just out in the wild wilderness, I am thinking I wanna be a raptor person which is basically a person who works for birds when I grow up after using this app the best app in the world would totally recommend. I love it so so so much and I really appr
Hiiiiiiiiiiii🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰2026-04-11
★★★★★
The best set of extra ears
I have been using versions of Merlin for four years now, and it has consistently gotten better over time. When used properly, it’s like having a friend who has “ear birded” for decades along with you, catching things that may (if you’re like me) be outside your hearing range because of tinnitus or other hearing loss. But you have to be aware of the limitations of AI sound recognition and not use Merlin as your only way of tallying the birds around you. Merlin can occasionally “hallucinate” a bird recognition because of collisions of other noises that have sound prints similar to the bird in q
packetrat2026-04-09
★★★★★
Love it but missing some quality of life features
I have been loving using this app! I mostly use the picture identification, so I cannot speak to how good the audio ID is, but the picture ID has been GREAT! Something that I wish you were able to do is, if you used a picture to ID, have the option to save the picture to the app and see it when you click on the bird in your Life List. I think this would help users more easily remember exactly where they saw the bird, in case they want to look for it again. Another thing that would be nice is to have location groupings that you can then filter/sort by in the Life List. This, again, would make
Swina992026-03-05
★★★★★
Necessary feature not provided
I love to use Merlin. I have learned the names of hundreds of birds, most of which are fun ones that live nowhere near me! I love to search up random letters to see what new and bizarre avian species Merlin has to offer. But here’s the thing. I love to learn about new birds, but even if I select the “show all” option, Merlin doesn’t display all of my downloaded birds. How do I know? Through my willy-nilly searching around, I have found several species and taxonomical groups that Merlin has shown nowhere else. What do I want? What is the “necessary feature” I require in the title? Simple. I
Midwestern bird enthusiast2026-02-01
★★★★★
Most recommended app
Of the 150+ apps on my phone, I recommend this most often to friends and strangers! It is the reason that something I had enjoyed for 50 years has become a more regular hobby and then a passion in my life. Being able to identify the sounds in a field or forest in a way that allows me to search for a specific type of bird with my eyes is an incredible gift. And then there is the “but-wait-there’s-more” gift of being able to quickly look at a photo I’ve taken and be 90+ percent sure of the species that I’m looking at within seconds!! The best benefit of this app, what differentiates it f
KDS. Charlotte2026-01-10
★★★★★
Beginning to feel more like entertainment than science
Merlin app used to be my go to bird ID app as a professional and traveling birder. However, since the most recent update they’ve added too much data and it’s glitchy and obnoxious. The videos that pop up during the sound ID are annoying, and listening and watching the actual bird gets lost in these videos. Why not make this feature an option? Also, when I’m pulling up a particular species, I don’t need to see a list of every other similarly named bird in the world. Merlin is adding all of this information without a complete sound library and getting away from what they’re good at. Again, why n
frogpose2025-12-20
★★★★★
Amazing + Accurate (1 grievance)
TLDR: large image sample size, identifies birds accurately via sound, but when I alter the settings to show the birds all year round, it still excludes some. I first got Merlin somewhere between winter and spring of 2025, and it has been incredible throughout the year. For context, I really like photography, specifically of birds. This app has allowed me to identify the birds I take photos of thanks to the large amount of sample images they showcase of each type of bird. Not only this, but it has also taught me the differences between several of the female birds in my area (house sparrows and
JackalPlays2025-10-23
★★★★★
This app is cool dawg 🙂‍↕️
I’m 17 and have been using this app for a long while now. I’ve taken it with me wherever I go, like walks outside or even trips to places like Florida. I’m looking into getting a degree in zoology or wildlife biology, so of course I was drawn to this when I saw it. I have not only been blown away by its ability to identify birds accurately, but also on its ability to help and tie into daily family life! Firstly, the accuracy has insane range. Sometimes in a walk I’ll pull it out and it can identify bird calls from super far away. Not only that, but it can identify many birds at a time even wh
MiloTheProCat2025-09-27
★★★★★
Poor update to a formerly excellent app
I have loved this app for the last two years. I had a backyard, bird habitat and very soon I learned all the birds that were in my backyard. Then I moved on to fields and trails, but it convinced me to help research with the Ebird ID app, which is not that good. Merlin‘s update to their app, now Let’s me see seven birds on the screen instead of the original eight. Which is important when your screenshot it so that you can see what you’ve heard as you try to put it into the corresponding Ebird app. plus merlin is NOT nearly as accurate as it was a 12-18 months ago, when most of these great revi
arthaven2025-09-08
★★★★★
Won’t load recording & no answer from team
I hate to knock stars off because I love this app! But over a month ago my boyfriend and I went on a 9 mile hike with this app running (specifically for birding). When our recording hit 3hr 31min, we didn’t think anything of it but the app crashed. The recording is still there but every time we try to open it, the app crashes. We caught so many rare and incredible birds that were in our area for migration… all gone. All we want to see is the species we saw during that hike. I emailed their support multiple times in the past month only to receive one useless automated message. I’m so upset I ca
spotlightforthealiens2025-07-21
★★★★★
MERLIN AUDIO MIGHT HEAR WHAT YOU DON’T
I started birdwatching in 1962 thanks to Wellfleet Bay Audubon Sanctuary day camp. I’ve been birding whenever I can and at 72 I’m retired and birding more often than ever but often alone and in unfamiliar regions and habitats. Merlin audio is a God-send for my aging ears. I’ve developed an MO which helps me optimize my observations. 1) When I get out of the car I tern on Merlin Audio while I begin scanning with my binos or scope. By the time I’ve scanned Merlin has a shortlist of species closest to me. 2) Sometimes Merlin has hear a waxwing or a creeper my ears didn’t register. 3) when I’m at
MWH Goshawk - Los Angeles2025-06-28
★★★★★
Great birding tool!
Can’t recommend this enough, both for experienced birders and novices. Sound ID is amazingly good for confirming or suggesting an ID that you can confirm by other methods. It often picks out the right bird despite background noise or when it’s barely audible. Testing with many birds we already know confirms it works well. Highlighting the current bird when several are alternating is cool to see. It also has pictures and other recordings you can use for learning or verifying. Saving regional bird data for offline use is very handy for use in remote areas. Region specific matches are useful but
roamer662025-05-26
★★★★★
amazing, no scams, no ads, no subscriptions, just education
This app is so much fun to use, we have lots of songbirds and this app alone has helped me identify so many with the step by step guide and with the listening feature. My mom and i love to record the birds and see who's singing! i love that each bird has a profile with its different calls and a description and how common they are in your area. i'm so happy there's still educational free apps out there are aren't begging you to subscribe. all i had to do was sign up with an email to start making my life list, but that's optional! all the features to identify birds you can use without an account
MegStephano2025-05-13
★★★★★
SoundID is busted now
I'm coming back to Merlin now that new birds are in my area for the spring. Compared to last year, the soundID feature is almost useless. I know that the mic is working because I can see the calls clearly in the little display, but it won't ID the bird. Even when they are common, obvious birds, like chickadees and house finches! From reading on Reddit it sounds like maybe the app was made to be more conservative to prevent people from misreporting unique birds. But honestly if this had been the version of the app I had originally downloaded, I never would have gotten into birding. I would neve
IDONTWANTANICKNAME6652025-04-20
★★★★★
One of the coolest apps I’ve ever used
This app is what I always dreamed I’d be able to use the Internet for back in those starry eyed days of dial-up and AOL. It is beyond cool watching it identify bird calls in real time. It can pick out calls from a dozen birds chattering at once, and the visual audio trace is hypnotic to watch. It’s a great way to relax outside when you’ve got anxious phone hands- you’re not going to open Facebook or tiktok or whatever when you’ve got Merlin to get yourself in the moment and thinking about all the life around you. The modern Internet age might be ruining our lives but at least we get apps like
Elle Emmenope2025-03-20
★★★★★
Helps me find so many birds!
**Update Feb. 2025 - I can now add birds to my life list through the “explore birds” area when I know what it is. The app is now perfect!** I absolutely love this app! I have used it for several years now, and I especially love the addition of the sound ID. It has helped me find so many birds that I did not know were in my area, including Baltimore Orioles. I’m now able to put out feeders during migration season and bring them into my yard. I have also used the bird calls that are in the app to play and bring birds into my yard once I see the sound ID has shown them. All of the options for id
Dolphin_girl_722025-02-18
★★★★★
AMAZING APP
They always say as you get older white people love to bird watch. Well to add to that stereotype I definitely found out how much fun it is! Super helpful and easy add to use! It’s also awesome if you are a hunter (especially new hunters). You can use this to identify turkey calls and what type of duck you are hearing. The only problem I have with this app and hope it gets resolved soon is that when you are exploring birds, it used to show you a list of bird with pictures. Now it’s a blank screen and you have to type in the name of the bird. Well what if I just want to look and listen to birds
DrewR1182025-02-14
★★★★★
Beyond incredible. But some room for improvement
Overall, this is the best app I’ve ever downloaded because it makes birding so accessible and soo much easier, especially when you’re first getting started. I can’t imagine using guidebooks to learn, I’m certain this app helps shave years off the learning curve because the step-by-step, photo, and sound ID features are all incredible and best of all it’s free. The sound ID is sometimes way off but mostly extremely helpful, and I’m sure that’s a difficult software to perfect. I love the exciting pop-up when I log a new lifer and how I can browse birds in my area by type. My main criticism is th
JPrice0775382025-01-14
★★★★★
Sound ID problem is fixed for iOS 18!
I am pleased to have discovered that the failure of Merlin to record ANY sound via Sound ID, associated with v 3.4 and reported by me back in October, has finally been resolved in v 3.5. I have been an enthusiastic user of Merlin since July 2022, and have agreed with all the other 5 star ravings. But the sudden loss of recording capability going back to last August was puzzling, and frustrating because Merlin tech support did not seem to be paying attention to those of us issuing 1-star complaints. Appearing now in v 3.5 is a new alert: that Sound ID will not work unless Sound Recognition i
Shane492025-01-01
★★★★★
Crashes & Locks Up My Phone
Update - I've increased my star rating as it appears the latest update has resolved both my issues. I used to love this app but I swear every time there's a bird I don't recognize and I start the sound ID the app freezes up and then locks up my phone. I can't do anything for up to twenty seconds before I am able to force quit the app. Maybe my phone is too old (iPhone 11) to work with this app? I don't have issues with any apps freezing up like this one though. My phone even spontaneously rebooted after this app froze once. It's really disappointing because I love birds and hate when it happ
OctopusCat2024-10-10
★★★★★
Still An Essential App - Now Even Better
UPDATE: The new layout and workflow makes this totally awesome app even totally awesomer!Whether you're a new or beginning birder, addictive or casual, you definitely need this software on your device! There is no other free, no-ads software out there that has as many features as Merlin with absolute ease of use. I use Merlin when hiking, just to see which birds might be in the area. With three ways to search for bird info (guided question / answer entry; submitting your photo for comparison to the vast Merlin database, or pointing your phone in the direction of interesting songs and letting
Hajster2024-10-08
★★★★★
My toddler loves this
We live in a heavily wooded area and every morning while we’re outside we can hear dozens of different bird songs. My toddler loves looking for birds and watching them every morning so I heard about this app and immediately downloaded it. Every morning after breakfast she asks to go outside and listen for birds. She gets so excited every time a bird pops up and I tell her the name. she has a bird guide book that she immediately starts looking through and we find the bird in her book together. It’s one our favorite things to do every day now. I love that this app helps encourage her interests a
abmish24912024-10-05

Change log 29 changes · US

✎
releaseNotes updated
What’s new in 3.9: Observation Deck: Your Merlin home screen now features a swipeable daily feed showcasing Bird of the Day, stunning featured photos, and bite
✎
description updated
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 ident
✎
subtitle updated
Identify Birds You See & Hear
✎
name updated
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
◆
Version 3.9 released
What’s new in 3.9: Observation Deck: Your Merlin home screen now features a swipeable daily feed showcasing Bird of the Day, stunning featured photos, and bite-sized bird tips! Each contains a full-screen view for photos and videos, plus a
◆
Version 3.8.4 released
What’s new in 3.8.4: Sound ID is better at listening for birds, and now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, Australia, Hawai’i, the Caribbean, Taiwan, and India! A smarter Explore experience. As you travel to ne
◆
Version 3.8.3 released
What’s new in 3.8.3: NEW - Nearby Places: Get ready to explore! Get seasonal suggestions for nearby places where you can find your Bird of the Day, and other birds you want to see. NEW - Streamlined Sound ID: No more surprise piles of ran
◆
Version 3.8.2 released
What’s new in 3.8.2: NEW - Streamlined Sound ID: No more surprise piles of random recordings filling up your phone! Now, you choose which recordings are worthy of a spot in your audio aviary. Hear it, love it, save it – simple as that. NE
◆
Version 3.8.1 released
What’s new in 3.8.1: New Species in Sound ID. Merlin can identify over 2000 species in Sound ID, with new species across South America, India, Taiwan, Australia, and more! New Languages: Merlin is now available in Dutch, Polish, and Swed
◆
Version 3.8 released
What’s new in 3.8: General bug fixes and performance improvements to improve your daily birding!
◆
Version 3.7.5 released
What’s new in 3.7.5: New Species in Sound ID! This version adds 342 new species to Sound ID across South America, India, Taiwan, Australia, and more! Bug fixes: Fixes for taxonomy update process Also included from 3.7.3 and 3.7.4: Updated
◆
Version 3.7.4 released
What’s new in 3.7.4: New Species in Sound ID! This version adds 342 new species to Sound ID across South America, India, Taiwan, Australia, and more! Bug fixes: Fixes for taxonomy update process Also included from 3.7.3 Updated bird conten
◆
Version 3.7.3 released
What's new in 3.7.3: Updated bird content - help us welcome the hottest new species of 2025! Performance fixes for Explore
◆
Version 3.7.2 released
What's new in 3.7.2: Bird Content Updates: Improvements to the way Merlin updates content, so you always have the latest bird info at your fingertips Listening Now: On the home page, now you can see how many Merlin users are currently lis
◆
Version 3.7.1 released
What's new in 3.7: ID Tips: Enjoy bite-sized bits of birding joy as you listen! While running Sound ID, keep an eye out for short videos and photos that will help you identify and learn more about the birds you are hearing. Improved Sear
◆
Version 3.7 released
What's new in 3.7: ID Tips: Enjoy bite-sized bits of birding joy as you listen! While running Sound ID, keep an eye out for short videos and photos that will help you identify and learn more about the birds you are hearing. Improved Sear
◆
Version 3.6.1 released
Get ready for bird migration with better ID tools and flexible downloads! - Sound ID update: Merlin is now more responsive, so you’ll see more IDs as Merlin listens to the birds around you. - Photo ID update: Trained in bird ID with over 6
◆
Version 3.6 released
Get ready for bird migration with better ID tools and flexible downloads! - Sound ID update: Merlin is now more responsive, so you’ll see more IDs as Merlin listens to the birds around you. - Photo ID update: Trained in bird ID with over 6
◆
Version 3.5 released
Life List Suggestions: Wondering what new bird to find next? Merlin now suggests birds you’re likely to discover or identify nearby. Photo ID Update: Merlin can help you identify bird photos with more confidence with a new update to Photo
◆
Version 3.4 released
Share Your Birding Finds! We’ve made sharing your birding discoveries easier and more fun.  Here’s what’s new: Share That Bird!: Send bird sightings straight to friends, social media, or birding groups. Life Bird Alert: Share new sighting
◆
Version 3.3.1 released
Bird of the Day challenge: a new bird each day to learn about and find nearby. Head outside and see if you can find the featured bird in your area! Updated Translations: Merlin is now available in Zulu! Bug Fixes: We’ve also squashed some
◆
Version 3.3 released
-Bird of the Day challenge: a new bird each day to learn about and find nearby. Head outside and see if you can find the featured bird in your area! -Updated Translations: Merlin is now available in Zulu! -Bug Fixes: We’ve also squashed som
◆
Version 3.2 released
Location, Location, Location! Approximate Location Magic: Merlin now works its wonders with just an approximate location. Easier to start, smoother to use! No Location? No Worries! Even without location data, you can set your spot on the ma
◆
Version 3.1.1 released
This update includes a few improvements and bug fixes, including: - New Ukrainian translations now available - Fixed a bug that didn’t allow saving sightings from Sound ID or Explore - Formatting updates on the Bird Packs screens - Fixed tr
◆
Version 3.1 released
Merlin has a new look! The layout of Merlin has been updated to make the app more intuitive, faster to use, and easier to learn about the birds around you. Introducing Your Bird of the Day Get ready to discover a new bird every day with a
◆
Version 3.0.5 released
Two minor bug fixes: - Bluetooth access will now only be requested when enabling Swarovski devices - Bird names are now available in Simplified Chinese again We periodically release fixes and tweaks to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you
◆
Version 3.0.4 released
Updated support for connected devices. We periodically release fixes and tweaks to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you identify more birds. Your feedback and support drive our ongoing efforts to create a better birding experience for every
◆
Version 3.0.3 released
We periodically release fixes and tweaks to improve Merlin Bird ID and help you identify more birds.
◆
Version 3.0.2 released
Updated Sound ID Model (v34): Merlin can now identify over 1200 species by sound! We added over 150 new species to sound ID in this update, including fan-favorites like Wilson’s Plover, Flame-colored Tanager, and New Zealand Fantail. New t
expanded screenshot