Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab Reviews

Annoying that you can’t ID a bird w/o using their bird finder

kayci-nicole

I like some things about this app but it’s irritating to me that if the bird ID function doesn’t suggest the bird you saw you can’t indicate that you saw it, even if you find the bird in the browsing section of “birds you might see today in your area.” At least 1/3 of birds I’ve tried to ID I’ve had to find via browsing for them in that app and I can’t figure out what input to plug in to have it suggest the bird I saw, which is annoying and makes the app not feel worth using.

Excellent resource for birders

Crouchant

I use this app to identify calls of birds in my vicinity, that normally might not have been seen immediately. Makes for an interesting game of hide-n-seek. The EXPLORE BIRDS feature is especially useful for birders building their Life List, to identify birds likely in the vicinity on any particular day of the year. I wouldn’t go birding in the field without it!

This app will enable you to become a birder

Tiptoe, Esquire

You can go from thinking there are only cardinals and blue jays and robins around you to being able to identify 50 (or more) birds by sight and sound. With the help of this app, I was able to learn about warblers, sparrows, gulls, herons, the list goes on, and be able to identify them. I had no idea these birds have been all around me for my whole life. I'm so happy to finally be able to see and appreciate all the natural beauty flying by and perching, wading, singing from the treetops (mockingbirds).

Merlin Bird ID

Sweet Cube

I love this app, and I use it frequently. One of my favorite pastimes is sitting in the backyard, park, or even in town with the “Sound ID” activated. It’s so enjoyable to learn just how many different birds are singing or calling within earshot. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is that the questions you must answer to make a visual ID sometimes lead you to options that don’t make sense, and the Sound ID option doesn’t always pick up the call you are hearing, or it gives suggestions that seem quite unlikely (although I am certainly no expert on bird song/calls, so I may be wrong about that).

Pathetic ID ability

TacomaJoe

Have an orange crowned warbler in my yard. A friend identified it for me from my pic, but Merlin couldn’t find it using its search criteria. It’s rare in these parts, but it is here year round (Seattle). Once I knew what it was I looked it up in Merlin and It’s listed. Pathetic! They really need to work on their search algorithms.

Very helpful app!

kferguson33

I have this app running when I’m watching birds in the backyard or on a nature walk. The Sound ID is very accurate and easy to use, and the photo ID helps narrow down what bird I’m seeing. Highly recommend!

Pretty good

David Birdwatcher

I’ve had it and have been using daily for over a year now. It’s helped me to identify certain birds by sight and sound. But sometimes it won’t let me identify a species just because of the app. I heard a Great Horned Owl the other night but it wouldn’t allow me to identify it! I also have trouble trying to put in certain hawks in my daily identification. But overall, it has taught me so much!

Wonderful tool to identify birds anywhere

bltampa

I love this app! I use it whenever I spot a different bird wherever we are. Occasionally it cannot ID the bird but usually it does well & gives a bit of info about the bird too. I recommend it to my family & all my camping friends. Thank you Cornell!

Fantastic app and thanks!!

Scott in Virginia

This is a wonderful app! Very helpful and user-friendly. Excellent written descriptions and photos. The only glitch I’ve seen, I can’t find the painted bunting. Overall, a great tool! Thanks Cornell bird center!

Brilliant!

SteelersJason

While the photo ID feature isn’t perfect, it does amazingly well if you give it a decent photo to work with, and the app overall gives you the tools you need to figure out your bird, even if photo ID is not an option. The one feature I’d like to see added to the app is full management of my sighting, the equivalent of what you can do on the website. Thanks for the great app!

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab Reviews – Page 2