Apps

Apps & eBooks Sunbird Images ©Sunbird Images Website

Birding AppsApps are rapidly becoming more important than any other informational resource for birders in the field; replacing CDs, DVDs, Birding Software and even paper Fieldguides. All because of the rise of the mobile phone. Birders no longer need to carry a pager to get rarity alerts. They no longer need a laptop or even tablet to record sigjtings. Neither do they need a book to paw through to help them clinch ID and by the same token they do not need a microphone or recording device to play bird calls to help ID or lure birds to closer quarters. For anyone other than a serious photographer they do not even need to carry a camera as all this and more is replaced by a smart phone with its many functions available through an appropriate ‘app’. Shorthand for ‘applications’ apps are packets of software designed for their portability and ease of use whether it be to control your ‘digiscoping’ or make keeping lists easy. Their real triumph is to make the paper fieldguide almost redundant – or at least easy to leave at home or in the car as a smartphone weights mere grammes and can have dozens of different ID guides available at the touch of a screen.These days there are the beginnings of a synthesis between apps and websites as more and places have internet coverage. Apps are sometimes taps opening a more complex on-line experience.So, whether you want to make lists, play recordings or confirm your ID there’s not just one, but many apps to help.

Birding Aps
  • Africa - South Africa - Newman’s Birds of Africa

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Birds of Southern Africa | App Developer Studio Cc | 771.8 MB | Requires iOS 11.0 or later | Requires Android 4.1 and up |

  • Africa - South Africa - Sasol eBirds of Southern Africa

    | mydigitalearth.com | 8.9M | Requires Android 4.0.3 and up |

    If you like the way this app works please check out the full version or you can download up to 89 species 'groups' as in-app-purchases within this app.
  • Africa - Southern Africa - Roberts Bird Guide 2 app

    Android
    | Southern African Birding CC | 1.5 GB | Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch |

    ROBERTS BIRD GUIDE 2 is a new app based on the new publication "Roberts Bird Guide (second edition)" with all new illustrations, distribution maps and bird texts for 977 Southern African bird species, including all the new species and names, and including new app functions and features*.
  • Africa - eGuide to Birds of East Africa

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Paintings; 1300+ species | mydigitalearth.com | 516.1 MB | Requires iOS 9.3 or later |

    The eGuide to Birds of East Africa is an interactive companion to Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe's Birds of East Africa field guide – the essential guide for birdwatchers visiting this spectacular region. It covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. This application has specific features that will enhance your birding experience.
  • Antarctic - Antarctic Wildlife Guide app

    Apple iOS | Android
    | mydigitalearth.com | 103.2 MB | Requires iOS 10.3 or later | Requires Android 4.0 and up |

    A guide to the birds, seals, dolphins and whales likely to be encountered on a voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula, The Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The area covered includes Ushuaia & Beagle Channel, the Drake Passage, the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Islands, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia.
  • Asia - India - Birds of the Indian Subcontinent

    Apple iOS | Android
    | eGuide | mydigitalearth.com | 133 MB | Requires iOS 9.3 or later |

    The eGuide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent is an interactive companion to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent – the definitive guide for birdwatchers visiting the region. It covers India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. This application has specific features that will enhance your birding experience.
  • Asia - Japan - Japanese Birds

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Enwit Inc | 280.4 MB | Requires iOS 9.3 or later | Requires Android 5.0 and up |

    This app provides information on 250 species of birds in Japan, complete with photographs, descriptions, and sounds. There are 364 sounds—including songs, calls, and drumming. Beautiful birdsong, passionate canzone, the melancholy melody of a love song, intense drumming, birdcall as daily communication—enjoy the diverse world of wild birds.
  • Asia - Korea - Birds of Korea Pro

    | Paintings and photographs; 450 species | LGEvergreen | Requires Android 3.0 and up |

    The most popular printed field guide to Korean birds is now available in its entirety on the Android!
  • Asia - Singapore - Birds of Singapore

    Apple iOS |
    | Photographs; 375 species | Nature Society (Singapore) | 120.9 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

    In this application, there are 578 “best of the crop” photographs from 25 local and overseas bird photographers of all the 399 species based on the Bird Group’s Records Committee’s 2017 Checklist. Many of the species will be shown in both sexes with some in their juvenile plumages. Most raptors will have flying images showing their undersides and wings. All photographs were selected for their distinctive features to help with their identification. The uniqueness of an application is the ability to produce sounds and this allow us to include over 110 calls of selected species to complete the package.
  • Birdathon

    Apple iOS |
    | A birding checklist app | Barry Langdon-Lassagne | 57.5 MB |

  • Daily Bird

    Apple iOS |
    | (the beautiful bird a day calendar app) | Birds In The Hand, LLC | 5.9 MB | Requires iOS 7.0 or later |

  • Europe - BIRD SONGS of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East

    Apple iOS |
    Mullen & Pohland GbR | Sunbird Apps |

    This is the professional app to the renowned reference work of Schulze and Dingler covering all 800 European species including 2817 songs and calls known from the 17# CD set! This is the best set of songs and calls for this region ever published.
  • Europe - Birds of Northern Europe

    Apple iOS |
    | NatureGuides Ltd | 757.2 MB | Requires iOS 9.3 or later |

    A high-quality digital field guide, with bird names in 15 languages, covering 352 species of birds regularly seen in Northern Europe. This list covers all except rarer vagrants and includes every bird likely to be seen by the vast majority of birdwatchers in the region throughout the year. Countries covered include Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Holland (The Netherlands), Belgium, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Luxembourg and Northern France. Comprehensive information is provided including: multiple annotated illustrations by leading artists showing the full range of plumages including rarer races and variations, beautiful still photographs for many species; songs and calls, maps showing distribution in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and the full detailed text accounts from the Concise edition of Birds of the Western Palearctic (THE standard reference work originally published by Oxford University Press). Perfect for more experienced birders who will appreciate the comprehensive and professional ornithological content in this App.
  • Europe - Collins Bird Guide

    Apple iOS | Android
    | (A field guide to Europe) | NatureGuides Ltd | 907.3 MB | iOS 9 Android OS 5 | English, French, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Swedish |

    Full interactive experience with calls and song as well as text and illustrations from the best fieldguide ever.
  • Finding - Bird Finder

    Apple iOS |
    | birding & hotspots guide | Zhuo Tao | 17.3 MB | Requires iOS 12.1 or later |

  • Finding - BirdsEye

    Apple iOS | Android
    | A Global Birding Tool | Birds In The Hand, LLC | 22.8M | Requires Android 4.1 and up | Requires iOS 9.0 or later. |

    BirdsEye Bird Finding Guide - What birds live near here? Where can I find new birds to add to my life list? BirdsEye is the only field guide that gives you an instant answer to this question, from your phone at home or around the world!
  • Finding - GoBird

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Guide to Nearby Birds | Tony Gentilcore | 20M | Requires Android 4.1 and up |

    Discover and identify birds around you, for free, anywhere in the world.
  • Listing - Bird Journal

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Bluebird Technology Limited | 58.4 MB | Requires iOS 7.0 or later. |

    Bird Journal is the best way to record, explore and share your bird & wildlife observations and experiences. It has thousands of users across the world and works on a variety of devices.
  • Listing - eBird

    Apple iOS | Android
    | by Cornell Lab | 58.6 MB | Requires iOS 9.0 or later |

    eBird Mobile makes it easy to record the birds you see in the field, and seamlessly link these observations with eBird--a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world. This free resource makes it easy to keep track of what you see, while making your data openly available for scientific research, education, and conservation. eBird Mobile is the only app that passes information directly from the Android device to your eBird account on the web. Features - Track your bird sightings from anywhere in the world. - View your Life, Year, and Month lists for any region or nearby location. - Full global taxonomy based on The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. - Common names available in 41 languages and regional versions (e.g., Portuguese names in Brazil or in Portugal). - Checklists customized for your location and time of year, showing most likely species based on eBird data. - Real-time feedback on whether a sighting is rare in the area. - Quick entry tools to make note-taking faster than ever before. - GPS enabled location plotting and tracking options. - Map tools that show you hundreds of thousands of eBird Hotspots. - Full offline functionality, enabling use in places with limited or no Internet connection. - Entire app translated to Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Khmer, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).
  • Middle East - eGuide to Birds of the Middle East

    Apple iOS |
    | Paintings; 800+ species | mydigitalearth.com | 214.9 MB | Requires iOS 9.3 or later |

    The eGuide to Birds of the Middle East is an interactive companion to the Birds of the Middle East field guide – the comprehensive guide for birdwatchers visiting the region. It covers Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, the Arabian peninsula and Socotra. This application has specific features that will enhance your birding experience.
  • Neotropics - All Birds Colombia

    Apple iOS |
    | A complete field guide to identify all bird species recorded in Colombia - incl. songs + calls! | Mullen & Pohland GbR | 3 GB | Requires iOS 11.0 or later. |

    Planning to go bird watching in Colombia? Then this is the app for you. This app fills a gap in the region and is the only serious bird app available for Colombia. It is based on the renowned reference work of the Helm Guide Series "Birds of Northern South America" by Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner, and Miguel Lentino. The creation of apps from the book is a co-production between Bloomsbury Plc. and Sunbird Images. The app contains 5,600 illustrations and more than 4,000 bird songs and calls in total.
  • Neotropics - All Birds Ecuador

    Apple iOS |
    | (A complete field guide to identify all bird species recorded in Ecuador - incl. songs + calls!) | Mullen & Pohland GbR | 2.3 GB | Requires iOS 11.0 or later. |

    Planning to go bird watching in Ecuador? Then this is the app for you. This app fills a gap in the region and is the only app available for Ecuador! It is based on renowned reference work of the Helm Guide Series "Birds of Northern South America" by Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner, and Miguel Lentino. The creation of apps from the book is a co-production between Bloomsbury Plc and Sunbird Images. The app contains 5,000 illustrations and more than 3,000 bird songs and calls in total.
  • Neotropics - All Birds Northern Peru

    | A complete field guide to identify all bird species recorded in Northern Peru - incl. songs + calls! | Mullen & Pohland GbR | 2.2 GB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

  • Neotropics - All Birds Northern South America

    Apple iOS |
    | a field guide to all the species recorded in Ecuador, Colombia, Guiana, Peru, Venezuela | Mullen & Pohland GbR | Sunbird Apps |

    This mobile field guide includes all 2,311 bird species found in the Northern part of South America
  • Neotropics - All Birds Venezuela

    | (a complete field guide to identify all the bird species recorded in Venezuela) | Mullen & Pohland GbR | 2 GB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

    This app is an electronic field guide and contains all 1412 species ever recorded in Venezuela. This app fills a gap in the region and is the only bird app available for Venezuela! It is based on the renowned reference work of the Helm Guide Series "Birds of Northern South America" by Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner, and Miguel Lentino. The creation of apps from the book is a co-production between Bloomsbury Plc and Sunbird Images. The app contains 4,620 illustrations and more than 3,000 bird songs and calls in total!
  • Neotropics - Argentina - Aves Argentinas

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Aves Argentinas | Requires Android 4.1 and up | 255.6 MB | Requires iOS 8 or later | Spanish |

    Aves Argentinas brings you this new application looking at some of the amazing aspects of life, courtship, migration, nesting, food and songs of the 365 most common and emblematic bird species of our country. 1500 photos, songs, information and maps.
  • Neotropics - Belize Birds Field Guide

    Apple iOS |
    | Michael Mullin | 300.3 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

    Full-featured birding field guide for Belize
  • Neotropics - Birds of Brazil

    Apple iOS |
    | A field guide by Ber van Perlo | NatureGuides Ltd. | 708.1 MB | Requires iOS 9.3 or later |

    Based on Ber van Perlo's ‘Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil’, this app covers over 1,800 species of bird seen in Brazil, including residents, migrants and vagrants. Helpful texts detail size, habitat and description, while informative illustrations show a host of plumages for each species, including subspecific variation. Distribution maps and stunning still photographs further enhance the app, and songs and calls of over 1,200 species complete the package. The result is a must-have app for anybody birding in Brazil.
  • Neotropics - Birds of Peru

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Birds In The Hand, LLC | 1.2 GB | Requires iOS 9.0 or later | Requires Android 4.0.3 and up |

    Princeton Field Guides are comprehensive, in-depth identification tools designed for all nature enthusiasts. This is the interactive mobile field guide version of Birds of Peru by Schulenberg, Stotz, Lane, O'Neill & Parker. Like the paper edition, it is the most complete and authoritative field guide to this diverse neotropical landscape, featuring every one of Peru's 1,817 bird species. Every distinct plumage is covered in superb, high-quality color illustrations. This mobile version includes all of the same excellent content of the print edition plus audio for 1,510 species and "Smart Search" by color, size and habitat. It has been updated to reflect the current eBird/Clements taxonomy.
  • Neotropics - Costa Rica Birds

    Apple iOS |
    | Field Guide for mobile devices | Michael Mullin | 477.4 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

  • Neotropics - Panama Birds Field Guide

    Apple iOS |
    | Michael Mullin | 501.4 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

  • North America - Audubon Bird Guide

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Audubon Bird Audubon Society | 105 MB | Requires iOS 9.0 or later. | Requires Android 4.1 and up |

    Identify over 800 bird species. The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to over 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket. Built for all experience levels, it will help you identify the birds around you, keep track of the birds you've seen, and get outside to find new birds near you.
  • North America - BirdNET

    Android
    | Bird sound identification | Stefan Kahl | Requires Android 5.0 and up |

    How can computers learn to recognize birds from sounds? The BirdNET research project uses artificial intelligence neural networks to train computers to identify more than 500 of the most common species of North America and Germany. Help us test this prototype app by recording a file using the internal microphone of your Android device and seeing if BirdNET correctly identifies the probable bird species present in your recording.
  • North America - Merlin Bird ID app

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Instant Bird Identification | Cornell University | 72.4 MB | Requires iOS 9.0 |

    What's that bird? Merlin Bird ID helps you solve the mystery in 5 questions, or with a photo of a bird. First, Merlin asks you a few simple questions. Then, almost like magic, it reveals the list of birds that best match your description. Pick your bird, then delve into more photos, sounds, and ID tips about your bird!
  • North America - Sibley Birds

    Apple iOS | Android
    | (Birds of North America) | mydigitalearth.com | 2nd Edition |

    The new Sibley Birds app has arrived with comprehensive, up to date information of over 930 North American species. All the detailed artwork from David Sibley’s Guide to Birds Second Edition is included as well as thorough descriptions and distribution maps.
  • Oceania - Australia - Morcombe's Birds of Australia

    Apple iOS | Android
    | mydigitalearth.com | 417.5 MB | Requires iOS 8.4 or later |

    Michael Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds has been called the most comprehensive field guide to Australian birds in the market today and now it is perfectly complimented by the eGuide
  • Oceania - Australia - Pizzey and Knight Birds of Australia

    Apple iOS |
    | GIBBON MULTIMEDIA AUS PTY LTD | 857.4 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later. |

  • Oceania - New Zealand - Birds of New Zealand

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Photographs; 360+ species | mydigitalearth.com | 378.6 MB | Requires iOS 8.4 or later | Requires Android 2.1 and up |

    The Birds of New Zealand app is an interactive version of the newly released Birds of New Zealand: A Photographic Guide by Paul Scofield and Brent Stephenson. This application has specific features that will enhance your birding experience.
  • Song Sleuth

    Apple iOS |
    | Auto Bird Song ID 4+ | w/ David Sibley Bird Reference | 401.9 MB | Requires iOS 10.0 or later |

    Song Sleuth turns your iPhone or iPad into an automatic bird song identifier covering the 200 most common vocalizing land birds in the U.S.A. Developed by Wildlife Acoustics, in collaboration with world-renowned bird expert and illustrator David Sibley, the app records bird songs and suggests matching species. The identification algorithms are the result of over a decade of research and experience designing professional bioacoustics recorders and software.
  • UK - Bird Id – British Birds

    Apple iOS | Android
    | British Isles Identification Guide including all RSPB BGB bird watching survey birds | Mullen & Pohland GbR | 142.7 MB | Requires iOS 6.0 or later |

    Identify birds of the British Isles with this stunning guide. All the RSPB annual survey birds are included. Garden birds, woodland birds, birds of heath and moorland, summer and winter visitors, waders and sea birds.
  • UK - BirdUp

    Android
    | birdsong recognition | on Burn | 21 M | Requires Android 4.1 and up |

    BirdUp recognises all common birds found in gardens, parks and woodlands in the UK.
  • UK - Birder - Britain & Ireland

    Apple iOS |
    | Syncode | 296.7 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

    Birder is an application for iOS that incorporates a Field Guide and Field Report for Birds of Britain and Ireland. Birder features beautiful original artwork (commissioned specifically for the application), high quality recordings of bird calls/song, concise text descriptions and identifications guidelines, the latest commissioned range maps and a host of other features. Bird species can be listed by common name, latin name, family or habitat.
  • UK - Birds of Britain

    Android
    | 79M | Requires Android 4.1 and up |

    Simple and easy to use list of all the birds you can see in Great Britain. Also shows what birds are likely to be in your area at the moment. Now also includes songs for most common birds.
  • UK - Birds of Britain Pocket Guide

    Apple iOS |
    | A handy guide to British birds | Spiny Software Ltd | 168.8 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

    Our apps are British-made, by British naturalists - we know our stuff! Fantastic photos, songs, calls, distribution maps and detailed information for over 200 birds - all the common and best known birds in Britain arranged by family or alphabetically. The specially written bird notes cover the appearance, habitat, diet, lifespan, nesting habits, rarity status, and distribution in Britain, as well as interesting facts.
  • UK - Birds of Britain Pro

    Apple iOS |
    | A Field Guide from iSpiny | Spiny Software Ltd | 247.5 MB | Requires iOS 8.0 or later |

    Birds Of Britain Pro is a guide to over 300 British birds, native and naturalised, with specially written text, professionally produced bird songs and calls, and carefully selected photos showing a variety of plumages. You can add your own photos to the app to compliment the images provided and to really make the app your own.
  • UK - Birds of Britain and Europe

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Pierre-Olivier Templier | Antiopa | 91MB | Requires Android 4.1 and up | 132.9 MB | Requires iOS 6.0 or later |

    337 birds of Europe. More than 1000 pictures. 324 sounds.
  • UK - RSPB eGuide to British Birds

    Apple iOS | Android
    mydigitalearth.com | Requires Android 2.1 and up | 269.8 MB | Requires iOS 8.4 or later |

    Paintings; 290+ species - The eGuide to British Birds is an interactive companion to The RSPB Handbook of British Birds – the ideal reference for birdwatchers of all levels of interest and experience. This application has specific features that will enhance your birding experience.
  • UK - Where to Watch Birds Scotland

    Apple iOS | Android
    | SOC Birdwatching Site Guide | Mucky Puddle | 108.4 MB | Requires iOS 10.0 or later |

    From the SOC - Scotland’s Bird Club – this app will help beginners and experts alike to discover hundreds of the best places to see and enjoy birds around the country.
  • UK - iBird UK Pro Guide to Birds

    Apple iOS |
    | iBird Guide to Birds of the UK | Mitch Waite Group | 1.1 GB | Requires iOS 9.0 or later |

    iBird United Kingdom and Ireland Pro, the world’s most popular identification app to birds of the UK, is now available as Version 10.06. iBird UK Pro now offers two powerful features: Birds Around Me (BAM) and Percevia™ smart search. Smart search lets you identify birds just like the experts while BAM only shows species that are found in your GPS area. We’ve also added our new Time of Day search feature which lets you filter birds by activity intervals during day or night (Cathemeral), dawn and dusk (Crepuscular), during the day (Diurnal) or during the night (Nocturnal).
  • World - Birds Complete Reference Guide

    Apple iOS | Android
    | Bird Sounds, Images and Videos | nFaisal Akhtar | 216.2 MB | Requires Android 4.4 and up | Requires iOS 9.0 or later |

    A complete birding reference app that includes over 11,400 species of birds grouped into 243 birding families. Birding multimedia is available with songs, calls, images and videos.
  • iNaturalist

    Apple iOS | Android
    | iNaturalist, LLC | 37.2 MB | Requires Android 4.0.3 and up | Requires iOS 9.3 or later |

Other Links
  • Boucher’s Birding Blog: Apps for the Smart Birder

    BLOG
    Need an app that helps you identify birds in the field? Don’t bother searching for “birds” in any app store. Unless that thrush happens to be angry, those dozens of Angry Bird apps that pop up won’t be of any use to you.
  • Sunbird Images

    Website
    Sunbird Images® is leading in the area of premium quality nature applications for mobile devices.
  • The 14 Best Bird Watching Apps (2018)

    Webpage
    I can’t imagine leaving my smartphone at home when birding! As technology continues to advance, it has become an invaluable tool.

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