Researchers from Cornell Tech and the California Institute of Technology along with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have developed a mobile app that will help birdwatchers to find out the species of birds they see.

In the program, one has to upload the pictures taken of birds. The program then looks out for present possible species with the help of computer-vision technology. The app asks the users many questions whose answers lead to generation of a list of possible species. The possible answers are accompanied by birdcalls.

As per the website, the Merlin Bird Identification app will act as an instructor for beginning and intermediate bird watchers. Questions asked by the app include what color was the bird and what size was the bird?

These questions narrow the research. The app uses the information from eBird having a database of around 70 million submitted bird sightings from across the globe. The app presents a list of bird species that matches time and place. The list has photos based on the descriptions given.

“Notice that date and location are Merlin’s first and most important questions. It takes years of experience in the field to know what species are expected at a given location and date”, affirmed Merlin developers.

Around 400 bird species can be identified that are most commonly seen in North America. For the app, over three million descriptions were collected from the Cornell Lab experts and a number of experts have helped.