In some areas, particularly rural regions, there are too few observations in eBird of a species for Merlin to consider it a possibility. Merlin depends on sightings reported to eBird in order to predict likely species at a given location. Since a lot of birds spend time “on the ground,” try to give Merlin another clue-for example, if the bird also spends time in or near water, try “swimming or wading” to see if Merlin will find your bird.įinally, the bird you sighted could be too rare in the area where you reported it, or there may be limited eBird observations from your area. If you chose this behavior and got a confusing result, try a different behavior. Merlin typically matches “flying or soaring” to birds that spend much of their time in flight, such as hawks searching for prey or swallows hunting insects on the wing. For example, if you saw a bird make a short flight into a tree, you are more likely to find a match if you select “In trees or bushes” because that is where the bird spends more of its time. Take into account tricky lighting conditions or things that may have led you to see a color that Merlin didn’t expect.īehavior: Choose the behavior that fits what the bird was doing for the majority of the time you spent watching it. Only enter colors that you are certain you saw. It can be very hard to estimate the size of a bird you see.Ĭolor: Try another combination of colors. Size: We suggest shifting your size response one to two notches from your original selection. If you’re identifying a bird by its description, try changing your size, color, or behavior selection: Open the Bird Pack screen from the menu (top left button) and make sure the pack tagged as Nearby is installed. If a common bird is not appearing, you may not have it downloaded to your phone. The first thing to check is whether you have the appropriate Bird Pack installed for your region. Why didn't Merlin list my bird as a possible match? Refining by Bird Packs functions like a field guide for all the birds in the pack’s region, and Likely Birds gives you a customized list of birds that are commonly found near you, with bar charts of when they can be seen throughout the year. You can also flip the toggle for All Installed Birds to see all species in your packs at once. Open Explore Birds, tap the filter button in the upper right corner of the screen, switch ‘Refine Bird List’ from Likely Birds to Bird Packs, and then select your bird pack of interest. If you search for a bird by name and don’t get any results, try changing the filter settings. Your filter settings may be limiting which birds are displayed in results. Search in Explore Birds doesn’t find my bird.

If you use eBird, your Merlin Life List also includes species reported on your eBird checklists. When you identify a bird in Merlin Bird ID, you can save it to your Life List - a list of all the birds you have confidently identified. Then, request a confirmation email again.ĭoes Merlin let me track birds I've already identified?

What is the best way to set up Merlin for use in a class or group, like in a school or nature center?.

Is Merlin available if you don't have a smartphone?.

Does Merlin Bird ID work in my location?.

Why should I enable Location Services and allow Merlin Bird ID to access my current location?.

Why do I have to provide an email address and what do you do with my email?.

Can I use Merlin when I don't have Internet?.

Why are some of the bird photos grayed out?.

What do the red and orange dots next to some bird names mean?.

Why am I being asked for a credit card number?

Why didn't Merlin list my bird as a possible match?.

Search in Explore Birds doesn’t find my bird.

Does Merlin let me track birds I've already identified?.Long-billed Thrasher © Dorian Anderson / Macaulay Library Modified on: Fri, 21 Apr, 2023 at 5:51 PM Solution home Merlin Bird ID More Merlin Bird ID FAQs

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