App Identifies Birds by Sound
2023-09-14
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1Tracee Herbaugh lives in the Boston area of Massachusetts.
2Herbaugh thought she was alone in her backyard recently when she used the Merlin Bird ID app.
3She learned from listening that she was surrounded by more than 12 kinds of birds.
4There were the familiar blue jays, cardinals and goldfinch.
5But the app also identified birds like chimney swift, northern flicker, fish crow, killdeer and gray catbird.
6Two birds identified by the app, veery and great horned owl, even had a red dot next to their names.
7The red dot meant it was a rare sighting.
8Herbaugh wrote: "Who knew all these birds could be in one yard?"
9Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the maker of Merlin Bird ID.
10The app was released in 2014.
11At first, the app only identified birds by sight called Photo ID.
12The user answered a series of questions to help identify the bird, such as date, area, color, and size.
13The app became popular during the pandemic when people increasingly wanted to be outdoors.
14In 2021, Cornell Lab added Sound ID to identify birds by their sound.
15In the United States alone, Merlin's Sound ID can identify over 700 kinds of birds.
16More than 7 million people now use the Merlin Bird ID worldwide.
17Alli Smith works on the Merlin project at Cornel Lab.
18Smith said birdwatching by sound "opens up a whole new world."
19Even if you cannot see the birds, Smith added, "you can hear their beautiful songs and know they're sharing your neighborhood."
20Other bird-identifying apps include the Audubon Bird Guide, ChirpOMatic, Picture Bird and Smart Bird.
21More than birds, Herbaugh said the app also helped her reconnect with people across the country.
22When Herbaugh shared her bird list on social media, two childhood friends who also used the app messaged her about it.
23Her relative in Montana shared a list that included hawks, raptors and hummingbirds.
24And even her young children now quickly go for the app any time they hear an unfamiliar bird call.
25Herbaugh has identified 45 birds on her list so far.
26She said her children are now the ones driving her to get more on the bird list.
27Smith said when people write to Merlin, they often talk about connection.
28She said, "There are so many little wonders around and it's fun to share that with people."
29I'm Dorothy Gundy.
1Tracee Herbaugh lives in the Boston area of Massachusetts. 2Herbaugh thought she was alone in her backyard recently when she used the Merlin Bird ID app. She learned from listening that she was surrounded by more than 12 kinds of birds. 3There were the familiar blue jays, cardinals and goldfinch. But the app also identified birds like chimney swift, northern flicker, fish crow, killdeer and gray catbird. 4Two birds identified by the app, veery and great horned owl, even had a red dot next to their names. The red dot meant it was a rare sighting. 5Herbaugh wrote: "Who knew all these birds could be in one yard?" 6Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the maker of Merlin Bird ID. The app was released in 2014. At first, the app only identified birds by sight called Photo ID. The user answered a series of questions to help identify the bird, such as date, area, color, and size. The app became popular during the pandemic when people increasingly wanted to be outdoors. 7In 2021, Cornell Lab added Sound ID to identify birds by their sound. In the United States alone, Merlin's Sound ID can identify over 700 kinds of birds. More than 7 million people now use the Merlin Bird ID worldwide. 8Alli Smith works on the Merlin project at Cornel Lab. Smith said birdwatching by sound "opens up a whole new world." Even if you cannot see the birds, Smith added, "you can hear their beautiful songs and know they're sharing your neighborhood." 9Other bird-identifying apps include the Audubon Bird Guide, ChirpOMatic, Picture Bird and Smart Bird. 10Connecting with people 11More than birds, Herbaugh said the app also helped her reconnect with people across the country. 12When Herbaugh shared her bird list on social media, two childhood friends who also used the app messaged her about it. 13Her relative in Montana shared a list that included hawks, raptors and hummingbirds. And even her young children now quickly go for the app any time they hear an unfamiliar bird call. 14Herbaugh has identified 45 birds on her list so far. She said her children are now the ones driving her to get more on the bird list. 15Smith said when people write to Merlin, they often talk about connection. She said, "There are so many little wonders around and it's fun to share that with people." 16I'm Dorothy Gundy. 17Tracee Herbaugh reported this story for The Associated Press. Gena Bennett adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 18___________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20backyard-n. the area outside around a house 21dot-n. a small round mark