What's New

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!

App 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.
• Customized lists of birds to find where you live or travel
• Merlin was created by bird experts for everyone.
• Merlin is global—look up any bird at any location.
• Keep track of your sightings—linked to eBird, a global database of more than 1 billion bird observations!


MACHINE LEARNING MAGIC
• Powered by Visipedia, Merlin Sound ID and Photo ID uses deep 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
• Choose bird packs that contain 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.
• It’s available in your language. Merlin is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hebrew, German, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Marathi, Malayalam, Afrikaans, Arabic, Indonesian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s goal is to help you and millions of others to learn about birds. Our nonprofit mission to improve the understanding and protection of birds and nature is made possible by the generosity of Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 1 Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 2 Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 3 Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 4 Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab screenshot 5

App Changes

  • January 09, 2014 Initial release
  • March 18, 2014 New version 1.0.2
  • July 15, 2014 New version 1.0.3
  • March 01, 2016 New version 1.0.4
  • August 12, 2016 New version 1.1
  • December 01, 2016 New version 1.2
  • June 14, 2019 New version 1.5.3
  • June 20, 2019 New version 1.6
  • August 16, 2019 New version 1.6.1
  • September 04, 2019 New version 1.6.2
  • September 11, 2019 New version 1.6.3
  • January 21, 2020 New version 1.6.4
  • July 14, 2020 New version 1.7.4
  • October 27, 2020 New version 1.8.2
  • August 05, 2021 New version 2.0.1
  • October 08, 2021 New version 2.0.2
  • May 15, 2023 New version 2.1.8
  • July 09, 2023 New version 3.0
  • September 16, 2023 New version 3.0.1
  • November 15, 2023 New version 3.0.2

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