Photo © Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Free Merlin Bird ID App

Information overload is the bane of the beginning bird watcher—as anyone knows who has ever flipped through 40 species of sparrows in a field guide. What if an app could quickly tell you which birds are most likely to be around based on your location, date, and a brief description? Not just which birds theoretically could occur near you, but which birds are actually reported most often by other birders. That’s what the Merlin Bird ID app does. And it’s free—because we want to make bird watching easier for everyone.

Merlin Bird ID covers 285 of the most common birds of North America (with more on the way). In addition to help with ID, it contains expert tips, more than 1,400 gorgeous photos, and sounds for each species. It’s available now for iPhone and other iOS7 devices, and it’s coming soon for Android.

• Download Merlin Bird ID from the App Store
• Get more details at the Merlin website
• Android user? Sign up for notification when it’s ready