Identifying Birds with the Merlin ID Bird App

If you're having a bird problem, it is helpful to know what species you are dealing with. It is not always easy to tell. Although most people can tell a pigeon from a seagull, birds like grackles, starlings and crows look eerily similar. Other birds like chimney swifts and barn swallows are less recognizable and well-known.

Knowing what bird you are dealing with can also help you address your bird problem. Different birds respond to different bird control methods and knowing the type of bird can mean all the difference in the solution you implement.

Luckily, today there is a bird identification app on your phone that can identify which bird species you are dealing with. This app is called Merlin ID. It is available on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.

To use Merlin ID you're going to need to create an account and verify it with an email address. Once you do that, you can download a bird pack for the region of the world you are dealing with. I downloaded, for example, birds of Northeast North America. Once you've done that, you're ready to use the app.

There are a few ways to identify birds on Merlin Bird ID: bird identification by a series of questions, photo identification, and sound identification.

The first method is bird identification by a series of questions. This is the first option and can be accessed by tapping "Start Bird ID" on the home page of the app.

First the app asks where did you see the bird? Here you can enter your current location, zip code, or click on a location on a map to give the app the data.

The next question is when did you see the bird? Here just enter the date you saw it.

Next the app asks what size was the bird? There are seven options ranging from as small as a sparrow to as large as a goose.

The next question is what the main colors of the bird were (black, red, blue, etc)? You can select up to three.

The last question is where was the bird? Options include eating at a feeder, on the ground, swimming, soaring, etc.

Now the app will display a list of possible birds with photos, descriptions, and bird sounds. The list is detailed and there are a lot of bird species. The data for Merlin Bird ID is based on the eBird app, which gets its data from birders all over the world who search for birds and mark locations they have seen them.

Hopefully, the bird you saw is displayed here! If you see it, you can optionally upload the data to eBird to help further bird identification.

There are two other bird identification methods on the app.

Photo ID is the first one. Take a photo of a bird through your camera or upload one already on your phone and the app will bring up the list of possible bird species.

The second bird identification option is Sound Bird ID. Record the sound of the birds on your phone or upload a recording of it and you will get a list of potential bird species.

There you have it. Merlin Bird ID is a convenient app for figuring out what type of bird you are dealing with. Hopefully you now have some more intel on your bird species. You can check out AviAway's species list (scroll down) to view different bird species and the solutions to getting rid of those types of birds.

If you have a bird problem, we can help. AviAway professionally installs bird control solutions for all bird species. We have 30+ years of experience in bird control and have performed work for companies like Amazon, Rite Aid, and the U.S. Postal Service. Click here or call 844-247-3373 to request a free bird control quote.

We also offer free bird control consultations. Click here to set up a free consultation and talk with one of our bird control experts about solving your bird problem.