SAN FRANCISCO / LONDON — Traditional birdwatching, once seen as a niche hobby requiring decades of specialized knowledge, is experiencing a massive digital boom. Fueled by advanced machine learning and a surge of interest among Gen Z and younger demographics, smartphone applications function like a "Shazam for birds," allowing nature enthusiasts to identify species instantly using audio calls or visual cues.The Phenomenon Behind Merlin Bird IDAt the forefront of this trend is Merlin Bird ID, an application developed by Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. According to director Jessie Barry, the platform has achieved 42 million total downloads globally, including 12 million downloads in 2026 alone.Technological Growth: Launched in 2014 with the capacity to recognize 285 common species v...
Originally published on The Reporter 24
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