Review of Smart Bird ID

This is a free application that can be downloaded from the App Store. It is aimed at helping users learn about and identify birds using both image ID and song ID. One of my favorite things about this app as opposed to other bird identifying resources, is how user friendly it is. There are multiple features to note such as an interactive map and feed of nearby birds, a categorized list of species to browse, and a section labeled "My Birds" that saves your identified birds to one place. 

Another notable feature of this app that sets it apart from other identifying apps is that when it is identifying a bird, rather than giving a single guess, the program gives a breakdown of percentage of likeliness of the closest species. This was a nice feature because it gives the user an idea of how accurate the result is. For example, if a list of 5 birds each with 20% rating is given, this may not be as accurate of a result as two birds and one of them being 90% reliable. As with most wildlife identifying apps, both the option of taking a photo with the app, or uploading a photo are available. I recommend taking a photo (or a few) and uploading them into the app later. Here's why; the biggest downfall that I noticed with the application was the abundance of advertisements (usually 30 seconds long) that were required to watch before identifying a bird. This is a major inconvenience if you are trying to catch a photo of a bird that may not be entirely willing to cooperate with your photography. That said, the option to make an in-app purchase to remove advertisements is available for about $2.99 I believe. In my opinion, this would be worth the cost if you planned on using these features frequently. 

Lastly, I would like to showcase one other feature of Smart Bird ID. There are quizzes of varying difficulty to test your skills on both backyard bird appearance and songs. I think this is a great and fun way for users to learn more about the birds they are identifying as well as to better their ability to identify birds on their own. 

Overall, I would recommend this application especially to those who are beginners in the world of birding (like myself). It is a great, easily accessible tool that is always with you!