5 Best Bird Identification Apps For Android
Birding or birdwatching is a popular hobby and has been around for several centuries, and having the best bird app for android makes it so much easier and fun. The conventional way to identify a bird is to open an encyclopedia or a book containing information about birds. While this method can help recognize a bird you found around you, technology today allows you to search for birds and their species, genealogy and more.
Thanks to modern day smartphones and tablets, you can now identify bird species directly from your smartphone or tablet. If there’s a bird you recently came across and don’t know what it’s called, these apps will come in handy. We’re going to talk about five such bird identification apps available for the Android platform in an attempt to satisfy your birding needs.
So let’s have a look.
Best Bird Identification Apps For Android
1) BirdID
As the name suggests, this app lets you ID birds around you to put an end to your curiosity. Developed by Nord University, Norway, the app lets you have a quick glance at the number of birds available around the Western Palearctic, which covers around 300 species together. Sadly, the app won’t give you information on birds that are located outside this periphery, so its reach is somewhat limited. However, the developers allow adding of more bird species by putting in a simple request on their website.
Each bird is displayed elegantly on the app, along with all the crucial pointers that you require to identify them in the wild. Moreover, you can also listen to sounds of a particular bird, allowing you to identify them better in the wild. Bird species names are available in a number of languages, so if there’s a bird you know about in your language but not in English, the app will help you recognize them as well. It’s free to download on the Google Play Store. There are no ads or in-app purchases here.
BirdID will work on any device running Android 2.2 or higher. Be sure to check it out.
Download it now: here
2) Audobon Bird Guide
This is an advanced birdwatching app with over 800 North American bird species covered. That’s plenty if you’re looking to check out birds within the U.S. The app also comes with a built-in Bird ID feature that can be very useful if you don’t know what the bird looks like. It includes a few identifiers for you to cross out so that the search is narrowed down to the bird that you’re looking for. The app comes with over 8 hours of bird calls and other related bird audio to help you identify the avian you’re looking for. It also comes with over 3,000 descriptive photos of birds, so if there’s a bird you came across in the U.S. and can’t figure out what it is, this app will almost certainly help you out.
If there’s a bird you’ve spotted on a certain location, you can share the pictures on the app, allowing other birdwatchers to learn about that particular bird. With over two million downloads on the Google Play Store, Audobon is one of the most popular bird identifying apps out there. The best bird app for android is a free download on the Google Play Store and has no ads or in-app purchases.
Download it now: here
3) Bird Identifier
This is a relatively new app on the Play Store and helps you identify a wide range of birds using just a picture from your phone. It uses a combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning to compile a list of birds that might suit the image you’ve uploaded. The app works anywhere around the world, although identification might not work in some areas depending on your geography. Once you’ve identified a bird, you can also read up more about it on its Wikipedia page directly on the app.
All the features of the best bird app for android are easy to navigate, and it doesn’t take much time to get used to. Since it’s a relatively new app, the developers are kind enough to offer support with its features within the app. Bird Identifier uses advanced technology to give you access to a large collection of birds. This means that it’s not a free app. It is currently listed on the Google Play Store for $4.99. There are no in-app purchases or ads with this app.
Download it now: here
4) Merlin Bird ID
This is only the second app on our list that offers Photo ID, or the ability to identify a bird with just a picture. The app has been developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which means you’re getting the best here in terms of information and data. Once you have identified your bird, you can check out more descriptive photos and even the sounds they make to help you spot them better. The engine has been tailored to drive positive results each time, so you’re unlikely to get a wrong identification with Merlin Bird ID.
The app currently supports bird packs from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Central America, with more apparently on its way. The app is free to download on the Google Play Store. Fortunately, there are no ads or in-app purchases here.
Download it now: here
5) Collins Bird Guide
If you’re looking for an old fashioned encyclopedia that can give you all the information you can gather on birds, the Collins Bird Guide is the answer. This is basically the entire bird encyclopedia wrapped into an app, which completely negates the need to have a physical book or guide on your travels. You get detailed information on each bird along with illustrations and pictures. You will be required to identify the birds manually, however, which means you can’t identify the birds using just your phone’s camera.
Either way, it’s a decent app to have and highly recommended if you’re a bird enthusiast. Given the immense amount of data on offer, the app won’t come cheap. It is currently priced at $16.99 on the Google Play Store. The best bird app for android has no ads, but there are in-app purchases on board. It works with any device running Android 5.0 and higher.