The Merlin bird ID app, created by the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, is getting an update that will automatically feed user identifications into eBird, one of the world’s largest citizen-science biodiversity databases. Since 2021, the free app has used machine learning to identify birds by sound almost instantly, and now it will funnel those detections into a platform holding over 2 billion bird observation records. This could aid conservation of at-risk birds - assuming the app doesn’t mistake your dachshund for a mallard.

In the UK, bird populations have dropped by more than 70 million in 50 years, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Almost 2 million Brits used Merlin in May alone, identifying birds in gardens and countryside. The app recognizes 2,066 species by their spectrogram patterns, covering most birds in the US, Canada, Europe, and common species in India and the Americas. It has been downloaded over 40 million times in 240 countries - up from 33 million in December - with Britain ranking second in total users.

Jessie Barry, a Merlin project leader, says upcoming features will better link Merlin to eBird, allowing recordings to be uploaded and used to monitor populations. “This data helps create tools for conservation, inspire support, and inform ecological management,” she said. But not everyone is thrilled. The European Bird Census Council recommends against using Merlin in official surveys, citing misidentification risks. Even the RSPB’s Prof Richard Gregory, who called the app’s popularity “a revolution,” noted it once identified his dachshund as a mallard. “If you aren’t an expert, you wouldn’t necessarily know there was an error,” he said.

Barry acknowledged data quality challenges but argued that more data, even imperfect, is better than none. “Our ability to understand changes in bird populations will be better served with more data to work with,” she said. Merlin user Moira Forsyth of Scotland finds the app useful alongside traditional field guides and binoculars: “We have been astonished to discover we had a much wider range of birds here than we thought.”