{"id":45296,"date":"2024-12-13T16:37:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T21:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=45296"},"modified":"2025-07-16T09:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T13:12:42","slug":"merlin-bird-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">You hear birds chirping, singing, and trilling in the trees\u2014but what feathered friends are making those calls? Perhaps you catch a glimpse of brightly colored plumage; what species might it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Never fear: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lab of Ornithology<\/a> has an app for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Called <a href=\"https:\/\/merlin.allaboutbirds.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Merlin<\/a>, the free app\u2014which has been continually updated and expanded over the years\u2014can identify thousands of species on all seven continents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It has proved wildly popular, with 23 million total downloads since it debuted in 2014; it was used by more than 12 million people in 2024 alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Two people using the Merlin app.\" class=\"wp-image-45425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/people-using-Merlin-by-Rachel-Philipson-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Rachel Philipson<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The app in use in the field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Available for both Android and iPhone (and boasting a rating of 4.9 out of 5 in the Apple App Store), Merlin offers a variety of ways to make an identification in real time\u2014even without an Internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leveraging the Lab\u2019s vast library of recordings that trains the machine learning models that power Merlin, birds\u2014especially those in regions like the U.S., Canada, and Europe\u2014can be identified through snippets of their calls and songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>Merlin has proved wildly popular, with 23 million total downloads since it debuted in 2014.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The feature, called Sound ID, is Merlin\u2019s newest and most popular tool\u2014and it has already been used to make more than 1.3 billion identifications. It was developed in 2021 using resources from <a href=\"https:\/\/ebird.org\/explore\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eBird<\/a>, the Lab\u2019s open-access database, where birders can submit audio and photos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The database also informed the app\u2019s visual ID capabilities: Merlin compares a photo to its trove of 67 million images, submitted by birders around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"An Egyptian Plover next to the Merlin app display of the bird.\" class=\"wp-image-45424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/12\/Egyptian-Plover-by-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Lab of Ornithology<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Merlin allows users to ID a species using their phone&#8217;s camera.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>(To ensure accuracy, all submitted media undergoes a vetting process.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the app can even identify birds without using sounds or images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u201cBird ID Wizard\u201d suggests possible species based on the answers to five questions: where and when the bird was spotted; its size and coloration; and what it was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe want to bring the joy of birds to everybody,\u201d says Alli Smith, Merlin\u2019s project coordinator, \u201cnot only because birds are charming, but because once you start to care about birds, you start to care about other things, like climate change or habitat loss in your community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merlin is offered in 23 languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, Arabic, Afrikaans, and Zulu. It also boasts other features, like keeping life lists and letting users note the birds they\u2019re likely to spot based on location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>We want to bring the joy of birds to everybody.<\/p>\n<cite><strong>Alli Smith<\/strong>, project coordinator<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>And to continue growing the database of species Merlin can identify, the Lab partners with conservation groups around the world to train people how to collect the data\u2014with active projects in Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Colombia, and elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, says Smith, \u201cwe want to have every bird that makes sound available for our users to identify in Sound ID.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>To continue growing the database of species Merlin can identify, the Lab partners with conservation groups around the world to train people how to collect the data.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Among Smith\u2019s favorite anecdotes about Merlin users: a woman who confided that while her husband is a longtime birder, she\u2019d never shared his passion\u2014until she downloaded the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow, when she does her makeup in the morning, she leaves the window open with Merlin recording,\u201d Smith says, \u201cand afterward, she and her husband look at the birds together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: A blue-winged warbler with its corresponding sound ID on the app. (All bird photos in this story by Luke Seitz.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published December 13, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":37049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[4630,37050,43001],"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-45296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-beyond"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-13T21:37:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T13:12:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-13T21:37:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-16T13:12:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":625,\"commentCount\":3,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Campus &amp; Beyond\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/\",\"name\":\"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-13T21:37:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-16T13:12:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"A blue-winged warbler with its corresponding sound ID on the app. (Luke Seitz)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/merlin-bird-app\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/author\\\/ess8\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2024-12-13T21:37:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-16T13:12:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You","datePublished":"2024-12-13T21:37:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-16T13:12:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/"},"wordCount":625,"commentCount":3,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg","articleSection":["Campus &amp; Beyond"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/","name":"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-13T21:37:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-16T13:12:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"Highly rated by users, the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s free identification app has millions of devotees worldwide","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/BWWA-Luke-Seitz-A.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"A blue-winged warbler with its corresponding sound ID on the app. (Luke Seitz)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/merlin-bird-app\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What\u2019s that Bird? Like Magic, \u2018Merlin\u2019 Can Tell You"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45296"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55284,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45296\/revisions\/55284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45296"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=45296"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=45296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}