There is a free bird identification app that is now available in an Android version as well as an Apple version, for smartphones and tablets.
Called "Merlin Bird ID", probably as a play on "Merlin the wizard" as well as "Merlin the bird", this app can identify 400 bird species in the United States, including all the most common birds, as well as play their songs. It can also identify some of these species in parts of Canada.
An article in The Cornell Lab of Ornitology's "All About Birds" magazine (Summer 2014, www.allaboutbirds.org) says that Merlin is "different from other bird ID apps in that it customizes your selection set of possible birds using data submitted to eBird [www.ebird.org] over the past three years from within 30 miles of your location."
First launched in January 2014, it might not work as well in areas without sufficient e-bird observations, but that will change as e-bird continues to grow. There are now at least 170 million observations, so most places in the United States and southern Canada are covered.
Just as each e-bird observation submitted makes Merlin more accurate and reliable, so too does each time a user of Merlin clicks the app's "This is My Bird" button to signal a match. That is because Merlin uses machine learning, learning from each correct matchup.
So the article warns, be sure to click that button to teach Merlin a lesson in return for all Merlin teaches you!
To download this app, just go to www.allaboutbirds.org/merlin and click for the Apple or Android version.
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