As I’m spending more time outside this spring, I keep having the same thought: “I wonder what kind of bird I’m hearing sing?” Birdsong is the sound of the season for me, and a free iPhone app is adding more color to the mystery.

Merlin Bird ID is a fantastic free app for identifying birds by sound

There are plenty of iPhone apps that can identify birds either visually or sonically. However, many of these apps require a paid subscription.

My curiosity over the source of birdsong hasn’t quite reached that level yet, but give it time.

Fortunately, there’s a wonderful free iPhone app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that can solve the great mystery of spring: what kind of bird is singing?

Merlin Bird ID is available for free on both iPhone and Android, and it has a 4.9-star rating from 109K reviews on the App Store for a reason.

How to identify birds in your backyard using the iPhone

It combines your general location with the sound of birds singing or chirping to help you identify what you’re hearing. You can also snap a photo of a bird to tag it, though I’ve mostly appreciated the Sound ID feature.

The part where this goes from a curiosity to a hobby is Merlin Bird ID’s Life List feature. It lets you “collect” bird identifications by date, location, and, of course, kind of bird.

For me, I’m still just taking the app out when I hear birds chirping as I try to commit the song and bird type to memory. The next step is investing in a camera-equipped smart bird feeder that can snap photos of birds.

In the meantime, I’m pleased to be better acquainted with the American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Chimney Swift, House Sparrow, and Fish Crow, just to name a few of the locals.

You can learn more about Merlin Bird ID here, or download it from the App Store for free.

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