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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Environment & Climate

Birdsong data from Merlin app to aid global biodiversity project

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The Merlin bird identification app will integrate user-submitted bird data into the global eBird biodiversity project.
  • This update aims to aid conservation efforts by providing real-time data on bird populations.
  • The app, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has been downloaded over 40 million times worldwide and is used by millions in the UK.

The Merlin bird identification app is set to enhance a major global citizen-science biodiversity project by allowing users to contribute real-time bird identification data. An upcoming update will enable the app to feed user-recorded bird observations directly into eBird, one of the world's largest databases for bird records, with the goal of aiding conservation efforts for at-risk species.

Since its launch in 2021, the free Merlin app, created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has utilized machine learning to offer near-instantaneous identification of birdsongs and images. The integration with eBird, which already holds over 2 billion bird observation records, is expected to significantly boost the project's data collection capabilities. In the UK alone, nearly 2 million people used Merlin in May to identify birds in various environments.

The eBird mobile app will soon have the ability to upload recordings, which can be recorded in Merlin. Upcoming feature developments will make an even better link to the eBird systems so that we can use the data from what users ‘hear’ with Merlin to monitor bird populations.

— Jessie BarryA leader of the Merlin project explained how the app's data will contribute to bird population monitoring.

Jessie Barry, a leader on the Merlin project, explained the significance of the upcoming features. "The eBird mobile app will soon have the ability to upload recordings, which can be recorded in Merlin. Upcoming feature developments will make an even better link to the eBird systems so that we can use the data from what users ‘hear’ with Merlin to monitor bird populations," Barry stated. "This data helps create tools that can be used to further conservation, inspire support and inform ecological management strategies."

The app currently identifies 2,066 bird species and has seen widespread adoption, with over 40 million downloads across 240 countries. Britain ranks second in user numbers, following the United States. While the app is seen as a valuable tool for connecting people with nature and supporting conservation, some concerns exist regarding potential misidentifications, leading the European Bird Census Council to recommend against its use in official breeding bird surveys.

This data helps create tools that can be used to further conservation, inspire support and inform ecological management strategies.

— Jessie BarryJessie Barry highlighted the potential impact of the collected data on conservation efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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