🔠Science, nature and the world
eBird
By Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Visit eBird
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free bird checklist app and website from the Cornell Lab, and one of the largest citizen science projects in the world. Birders record when and where they went out and which birds they saw or heard, and the checklists feed an open database used in conservation and research. Users can keep life lists, add photos and sounds, and explore live species maps. The mobile app records offline. It suits a teen birder or a family that birds together.
Our take: A strong fit for serious teen birders or a parent's family account; younger kids will enjoy Merlin more.
| Ages it suits | 13+ (a family can log together on a parent's account) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | 13+. Cornell Lab's terms cover eBird and say that if you are under 13, do not use or access the services. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Web, iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | The child's own account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI in checklist entry; regional volunteer reviewers check unusual records. Its data trains Merlin's ID models. |
What's good
- Real contribution to bird science
- Free, no ads
- Works offline in the field
- Builds careful observation and record-keeping
Watch for
- 13+ under Cornell's terms
- Observations and locations visible to other users
- Regional editors may contact you about records
- More data entry than fun for young kids
Data and privacy
Collects checklists with dates, locations, species, photos and sounds; other eBird users can see your observations and locations, while sensitive species are hidden. Cornell says it does not rent or sell personal data, though its sites use advertising cookies; nothing is said about AI training on user data. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
eBird data appears in hundreds of peer-reviewed papers on bird populations (the maker's summary); we found no study of eBird as a learning tool for children.
In the Big Index
- On the list 13 AI science and nature apps for curious kids
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BirdNET
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A good pick for a curious older child with a parent who is comfortable sharing recordings for science; Merlin is friendlier for beginners.
Where these facts come from
- https://ebird.org/about
- https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/terms-of-use/
- https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/privacy
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ebird/id988799279
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.cornell.birds.ebird
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.