Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab is a premier bird identification app that helps users identify birds they see and hear. Powered by eBird, the world's largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos, Merlin offers four engaging ways to identify birds: answering simple questions, uploading a photo, recording a singing bird, or exploring birds in a region. Whether you're curious about a single bird or aiming to identify every bird you encounter, Merlin provides the answers with expert ID tips, range maps, photos, and sounds.

This free app from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology not only aids in identifying birds but also helps users learn about them and build birding skills. With features like personalized Bird of the Day, customized bird lists for any location worldwide, and the ability to track your sightings, Merlin enhances both casual curiosity and serious birding pursuits.

Merlin Bird ID stands out with its innovative use of machine learning to identify birds in photos and sounds, thanks to Visipedia. The app learns to recognize bird species based on millions of photos and sounds collected by birders at eBird.org, ensuring the most accurate results. Experienced birders curate and annotate these sightings, making them the true magic behind Merlin.

In addition to its technological prowess, Merlin offers amazing content with bird packs containing photos, songs, calls, and identification help for anywhere in the world, including regions such as Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, and more. This rich content supports the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's mission to interpret and conserve the Earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds and nature.

Merlin Bird ID offers an extensive collection of bird-related content that rivals a comprehensive e-book library. With millions of photos, sounds, and sighting records from eBird, users have access to a vast repository of avian knowledge.

The app ensures copyright authenticity by sourcing its content from credible contributors and bird enthusiasts who curate and annotate the data. This guarantees that all bird songs, calls, and images are genuine and legally shared.

Users benefit from this vast resource as they can choose specific bird packs containing identification help, photos, and sounds for regions worldwide. Whether you're interested in birds from Europe, Asia, or the Americas, Merlin provides accurate and authoritative information.

Merlin Bird ID excels in format compatibility by supporting various types of media essential for bird identification. The app seamlessly processes uploaded photos and recorded bird sounds, ensuring a smooth user experience regardless of file type.

This compatibility extends to integrating with global databases like eBird and the Macaulay Library, allowing real-time updates and access to new bird species data. Users can upload different formats knowing Merlin's machine learning algorithms will accurately process them.

By accommodating diverse formats, Merlin empowers users to document their sightings effectively while contributing valuable data to citizen science projects focused on conserving Earth's biodiversity through research and education.