It can be confused with a few other similar thrush species and has a song that can be similar to others too ( that is the toughest test). Let’s graduate from the catbird to something more challenging - a Wood Thrush. Next, assuming you think you might know what the bird is, how quickly can you find it to confirm? And what type of images are they, how many and (lastly, and the most subjective) how’s the quality? Likewise, the eBird app is for sending in eBird checklists, not for figuring out what bird you are looking at. Hmmm…that Grey Catbird that the other apps quickly pointed to is not so easy to find with Peterson.īirdsEye is not really set up for the novice - allowing you to either search for or scroll through birds that have been recently seen in your location (based on eBird), but you really have to know what you are looking at to find it. Peterson Birds has already fallen behind the pack - it only has a family list that I have to scroll through, with icons. iBird has the same filter-type list, although a little more hidden under its search function, and Sibley eGuide to Birds also has a similar function under its Smart Search - though not as clever as Audubon’s! that should help narrow your choices down. Hidden in National Geographic Birds is a way to something similar - filtering the search by color, size, habitat, etc. It then creates a list of possible choices. Merlin treats you like a true novice - and leads you through a series of questions: location (allow GPS use), date (useful for season), size (with a series of useful images), choice of several colors, and what and where the bird was. You can browse by shape (duck-like, hawk-like, perching, etc.). First you need to narrow it down - big, small, hawk, warbler, woodpecker, whatever.īut wait! Audubon Birds is already helping you do that. Photo © Devan King / TNC Step One: Identifying a BirdĪ novice birder spots a bird in the backyard and would like to identify it. With new smartphones having lots of space, this shouldn’t be an issue, but older ones could struggle. Of course, some things are a matter of personal preference, such as illustrations versus photos.Īll of these apps need a lot of space (and a WiFi connection) to download (~500 MB+), but then you can use them offline when in the field, which is very nice. All 5 of these apps offer some bonus features - but generally, I am comparing basic features that all share.Whether the app allows you to compare similar birds and in which ways.
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