Merlin Bird ID app icon

Merlin Bird ID

Identifies birds from a photo or their song

iPhoneiPad4.9114K ratingsFree

The verdict

Hold your phone up to a singing tree and Merlin names the birds as it hears them, or snap a photo, or answer 3 quick questions about what you saw. Apple's Visual Look Up can guess a bird from a photo, but it can't tell you who is singing. It is free from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology with no ads and works offline, though it covers birds and nothing else.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Get it if

You hear birds outside every morning and want their names, with zero birding experience.

Skip it if

You have no interest in birds at all, because it does nothing else.

Screenshots 4

What it helps you do

  • Name the bird singing outside your window
  • Identify a bird from a photo
  • Learn which birds live where you travel
  • Keep a life list of birds you spotted

What changed

  1. Version 4.2.2

    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!…

  2. Added to The Useful Apps

Written up in The Useful Tech

Pick something else if

All 4 Merlin Bird ID alternatives

The details

Runs on
iPhone, iPad
Requires
iOS 18.0 or later
Version
4.2.2
Size
333 MB
Made by
Cornell University
Rating
4.9 from 114K ratings on the App Store

Spot a wrong price or fact?