Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
Field Guide with Instant ID
Only for iPhone
Free · Designed for iPhone
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.
more Wonderful and informative. Easy to use
Wonderful and informative. Easy to use
Superb app Very informative
Superb app Very informative
What's new in 4.2.2:
Identifying birds with a picture is easier than ever. No need to crop your picture - simply upload your photo, add the location, and we'll take care of the rest.
The sound recordings now include descriptive captions for some species, helping you understand what you're hearing and learn the key sounds that identify each species.
Seasonally Dynamic Media: See how birds change throughout the year! Photos and sounds now adapt to the changing seasons, highlighting how birds can look and sound different throughout the year.
Bug fixes and behind-the-scenes improvements.
4.2.2 5 days ago
What's new in 4.2.1:
Identifying birds with a picture is easier than ever. No need to crop your picture - simply upload your photo, add the location, and we'll take care of the rest.
The sound recordings now include descriptive captions for some species, helping you understand what you're hearing and learn the key sounds that identify each species.
Seasonally Dynamic Media: See how birds change throughout the year! Photos and sounds now adapt to the changing seasons, highlighting how birds can look and sound different throughout the year.
Bug fixes and behind-the-scenes improvements.
4.2.1 9 Oct
What's new in 4.2:
Identifying birds with a picture is easier than ever. No need to crop your picture - simply upload your photo, add the location, and we'll take care of the rest.
The sound recordings now include descriptive captions for some species, helping you understand what you're hearing and learn the key sounds that identify each species
Seasonally Dynamic Media: See how birds change throughout the year! Photos and sounds now adapt to the changing seasons, highlighting how birds can look and sound different throughout the year
Bug fixes and behind-the-scenes improvements
4.2 28 Sept
What's new in 4.1:
Sound ID is better at listening for birds, and now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa.
Birds have different sounds throughout the year. Merlin now highlights seasonally relevant recordings, so you can learn how birds sound during breeding season, migration, and beyond.
Nearby places now include photo thumbnails, making it easier to browse and recognize birding hotspots near you.
4.1.1 24 Aug
What's new in 4.1:
Sound ID is better at listening for birds, and now includes hundreds of new species in Central and South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa.
Birds have different sounds throughout the year. Merlin now highlights seasonally relevant recordings, so you can learn how birds sound during breeding season, migration, and beyond.
Nearby places now include photo thumbnails, making it easier to browse and recognize birding hotspots near you.
4.1 17 Aug
What's new in 4.0:
Enhanced account authentication - Added a more secure method for logging in.
Improved flow for saving birds - Streamlined the process for saving birds to your life list.
Added support for iOS 26.
Bug fixes and improvements.
Important Update Notice: You'll be automatically logged out when this version launches due to the new authentication system. Simply log back in using any login screen. Forgot your password? Use the reset option to get back in quickly.
4.0 13 Jul
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.
3.9 23 May
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
3.8.4 7 Apr
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!
3.8.3 24 Mar
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!
3.8.2 8 Mar
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!
3.8.1 20 Jan
What’s new in 3.8:
General bug fixes and performance improvements to improve your daily birding!
3.8 19/12/2025
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
3.7.5 19/11/2025
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
3.7.4 02/11/2025
What's new in 3.7.3:
Updated bird content - help us welcome the hottest new species of 2025!
Performance fixes for Explore
3.7.3 31/10/2025
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.
3.7.2 23/10/2025
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!
3.7.1 14/07/2025
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!
3.7 05/07/2025
Get ready for spring 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!
Happy birding!
3.6.1 25/04/2025
Get ready for spring 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!
Happy birding!
3.6 21/04/2025
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!
Life List Suggestions: Wondering what new bird to find next? Merlin now suggests birds you’re likely to discover or identify nearby.
3.5 12/11/2024
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!
3.4 09/10/2024
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!
3.3.1 13/09/2024
-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!
3.3 10/09/2024
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!
3.2 15/07/2024
What's new in 4.2.2:
Identifying birds with a picture is easier than ever. No need to crop your picture - simply upload your photo, add the location, and we'll take care of the rest.
The sound recordings now include descriptive captions for some species, helping you understand what you're hearing and learn the key sounds that identify each species.
Seasonally Dynamic Media: See how birds change throughout the year! Photos and sounds now adapt to the changing seasons, highlighting how birds can look and sound different throughout the year.
Bug fixes and behind-the-scenes improvements.
more Version 4.2.2 5 days ago
Data Linked to You The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Data Not Linked to You The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Location Contact Info Usage Data 