Best Birding Apps
We have searched the world of bird watching, looking for the best birding apps. There are quite a few bird watching apps on the market, however, there seems to be a consensus as to which birding apps are better than others. Here is our list, of not only our favorites, but the birding world seems to agree
As technology continues to advance, apps have become an invaluable tool in bird watching. There are apps to help you identify birds by sight and/or sound, provide field guides, checklists, automatic sound recognition, and even solutions to find local birds.
#1: iBird Pro
iBird Pro is definitely one of the most popular apps, I-Bird Pro makes it easy to search for birds using different features (size, color, location, etc.). It’s also nice that they have BOTH drawings AND pictures of each bird, which really helps correctly identify each species. Also, they have a huge library of sounds which is extremely helpful. Being able to compare sounds and calls will surely help in many tricky identifications.
#2: Audubon Bird Guide
One of the biggest reasons we love this birding app is because it is FREE! So if you are just getting started with your bird watching hobby, this app will probably meet most of your needs without any investment.
#3: Merlin Bird ID
This birding app uses Artificial Intelligence to help with identification.
If you saw a mystery bird, you can use Merlin Bird ID one of two ways:
Answer five simple questions and the app will give you the name of the bird.
Upload or take a picture of the bird, and the app will identify it.
#4: iNaturalist
The iNaturalist birding app is great to help you track all of the bird species you have seen using artificial intelligence.
It can help you track anything you see - reptiles, mammals, amphibians, or plants. The app keeps track of for you AND helps you identify it. Just upload a picture and let Artificial Intelligence do the rest.
#5: BirdsEye Bird Finding Guide
The BirdsEye app is great for birding because it syncs with your eBird account and uses your location to show what bird species have been spotted and recorded by other users. You can then pull up a map to show the location where it was observed.
My favorite feature is the ability to search for birds that I have not seen yet. BirdsEye will show the birds that have not been added to my list but have recently been spotted in my area.
Once I have found the bird’s location, the app even sends me to my Google Maps app to give GPS directions to the place! Amazing!
#6. eBird
This app is great for birding because it keeps track of every bird you have ever seen and organizes the data in just about any way you can imagine. You can customize your checklists and edit them at any time.
The eBird app can also be used to find a local birding hotspot which is a valuable tool, especially when traveling.
