Why budding birders are flocking to Shazam-like apps to identify avians

Megan Szostak, 26, has always been the “bird kid.”

The urge to watch and appreciate the world around him and the birds that fly in and out of it has been ingrained in him since childhood, when he was given binoculars after the death of his grandfather.

Armed with this and a field guide at his home in San Francisco, he set out to identify birds from an early age.

But in recent years the birding toolbox has expanded to include something much more modern: an app.

“I had friends who probably didn’t describe themselves as birdwatchers, but were more curious about nature and the world around them, and recommended this place to me,” Megan said.

He is one of millions of people who have downloaded Merlin Bird ID, which claims to be able to recognize almost any bird by its appearance, song or call.

“I think it’s a really great tool that I’ve integrated into my birding routine,” he said.

Whether it’s heat waves sending more people outdoors or young people getting interested in bird watching, these apps are rapidly growing in popularity.

Chief among these is the Merlin Bird ID developed by the Cornell University Ornithology Laboratory.

According to director Jessie Barry, it was downloaded 12 million times in 2026 alone, for a total of 42 million downloads.

The app has come a long way since it first launched in the US in 2014, he says, with machine learning systems that can identify 285 common bird species from photos.

It was a real feather in his cap then, but a decade or so later and he can now identify 11,000 species of birds; This is as many species as there are in the world.

Barry attributed the development to artificial intelligence and “an amazing community of global birders who can submit their recordings”; This means more data to train the technology.

Experienced birders can quickly tell you that the practice is not always accurate.

Some experts and charities have urged not to rely too heavily on Merlin or other apps like it, especially for recording official observations.

However, Cornell says the Sound ID tool has been used for 4.4 billion identifications.

Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower said other Bird ID apps are also being used more, such as Birda, which it said has been downloaded 31% more this year.

These recent increases may reflect the growing popularity of bird watching among young people. Generation Z birders report flocking to nature reserves.

“We have minimal demographics, but we can definitely see a shift towards younger audiences,” Barry said.

“Those who share their experiences with Merlin and say that they started bird watching for the first time may make references such as ‘I am 30 years old now, I am a bird watcher’.”

“It was really fun to see the young people participating.”

A social notebook

Having both auditory and visual methods to identify birds at Merlin reflects the “inclusive and accessible” nature of birding, according to Megan.

“A lot of people out there do birding using their ears or eyes,” Megan said.

“You don’t have to use all your senses when birdwatching, which is really cool.”

Noting “fair” criticism that the app sometimes gets it wrong, Megan said the app has helped usher in a hobby “that people once thought was reserved for a very specific type of person with a certain amount of knowledge.”

Megan, part of the Generation Z group whose appreciation for bird watching has emerged on social media, also shares what she sees on TikTok and instagram.

“I really enjoyed seeing these memories and creating these little videos, and I’m not a master videographer by any means, but I think my biggest strength in this regard is slowing down and noticing,” adds Megan.

“I really think creating the videos has encouraged me to do that more.”

Merlin has often been called “Shazam for Birds”, likening it to Apple’s app that allows users to identify the song playing using the phone’s microphone.

But some fans felt it left room for more.

Sam Lewis, a 32-year-old software engineer from Stockport, used Merlin for a number of years before being inspired to create his own bird ID app, Lifer.

It allows people to collect virtual cards with backgrounds for their hunts, illustrated with hand-drawn watercolors by partner Emily.

It takes ideas from other games; The cards vary depending on the quality and rarity of the image or audio recording used to identify the bird.

As Sam uses Merlin to detect and record bird sightings, he hopes to attract those who, like him, have felt the sting of an infamous monster-collecting game.

“They really are real-life Pokémon if you think about it,” he said.

pokemon Go, still popular for ten yearsHe encouraged people to go out to catch ’em all, with the added bonus that it helped them keep fit – which Sam thinks lends itself naturally to birding.

“I think it’s becoming more common, but there’s still a gamified technical side to it,” he said.

“People love the rarity and scarcity of things like Pokémon cards, and there are rare birds you can see and hear about now.”

Sam hopes his idea can contribute to conservation efforts more broadly.

To combat fears that using such apps could lead people to look for some species they shouldn’t, Lifer hides the exact locations of rare breeding birds on maps during sensitive periods.

Qualified catches are also submitted to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, an international network that provides open access to data on all forms of life.

And Barry told the BBC that Merlin’s future plan is to continue to keep things simple.

“We want Merlin to be really fun and easy to use, first and foremost, and we want it to be a place where you can think about the world of birds,” he said.

“We try to give you the best experience with the technology of a mobile device in your hand, but we really encourage you to go out and look at those birds and enjoy that experience with them.”

Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter Keeping up with the world’s best technology stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.