I didn’t notice the scarlet tanager until the alert appeared on my phone: “Merlin heard a new bird!” Despite its brilliant plumage — jet-black wings on a crimson body — the songbird can be a hard one ...

Merlin runs on Android handheld devices with OS 4 or higher and 250-400 MB of free space on the phone. To download, open Google Play from your device. Then search for "Merlin Bird ID".

Use the Merlin app to record birds as they sing, and it will highlight the names of the various songbirds.

The tools we have for birding have increased and improved since the old days when ornithologists had to shoot birds and hold them in their hands to get a positive ...

Something similar has now debuted called the Merlin Bird ID app that can identify what type of bird is singing. The app was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is free to download.

The tools we have for birding have increased and improved since the old days when ornithologists had to shoot birds and hold them in their hands to get a positive ...

Nature apps that use AI, like Merlin Bird ID, generate enthusiasm for birding while also promoting stewardship.

Merlin Project Manager Drew Weber told me the app has received about two million downloads since the launch of Sound ID. Merlin has around 8.5 million downloads in total.

The tools we have for birding have increased and improved since the old days when ornithologists had to shoot birds and hold them in their hands to get a positive identification. The invention of ...