Help Identifying Birds

Yellow-throated Warbler in United States by Sheldon Blackshire / Macaulay Library.

Bird Identification

Birds are a joy to watch, but they can be tricky to identify. Below are tools to help you improve your bird identification skills.

Merlin Bird ID app

Get help with a bird ID anywhere in the world!

  • FREE and easy to use!
  • 5 simple questions to ID a bird
  • Option to ID from a photo
  • International bird ID on mobile app
  • Available in 12 languages, for 7 continents
  • Answers can be dropped into Great Backyard Bird Count list
Get Merlin Bird ID app

 

Examples of the questions you are asked in Merlin
Merlin Screenshots/Cornell Lab.

Audubon Bird Guide app

Mobile app for in-depth identification and biology information for birds in the U.S. and Canada

  • Free and easy to use for all experience levels.
  • Contains over 800 species of North American birds, more than 3,000 photos, over eight hours of audio clips of songs and calls, multi-season range maps, and in-depth text by leading North American bird expert Kenn Kaufman.
  • It’s easy to identify a bird by indicating color, size, habitat, shape and more. It can filter the list automatically based on your location and time of year.
  • Keep track of all the birds you see and your life list.
  • See where the birds are with nearby birding hotspots and real-time sightings from eBird.
  • Post your photos to the Photo Feed so other Audubon Bird Guide users can see your best bird shots.
Get Audubon Bird Guide app
Yellow Warbler identified on a hike using the Audubon Bird Guide app.
Yellow Warbler identified on the Audubon Bird Guide app by Luke Franke/Audubon.

Audubon’s Guide to North American Birds

Web app for in-depth identification and biology information for birds in the U.S. and Canada

  • Web-friendly database for North American birds
  • Beautiful David Allen Sibley illustrations
  • Range maps adapted from Lives of North American Birds
  • Easy to use search tool by name, family, or region
Try Audubon’s Guide to NA Birds
American Oystercatchers feeding on a beach.
American Oystercatchers by Rob Sabatini/Audubon Photography Awards.

All About Birds

Web app for in-depth identification and biology information for birds in the U.S. and Canada

  • Web-friendly database for North American birds
  • Search for specific species and compare with similar species
  • Learn about bird life history, distribution, and sound identification
  • Be inspired by thousands of beautiful bird images
  • Read the latest bird news from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Try All About Birds
Tricolored Heron on a log hunting for fish.
Tricolored Heron by Thomas Anderson/GBBC.

Stay connected to the Great Backyard Bird Count.

By subscribing to stay connected to the Great Backyard Bird Count, you agree to receive communications from The Cornell Lab, Audubon, and Birds Canada. You may unsubscribe from any of the organizations' communications at any time.