With over 10,000 species of birds in the world, identifying feathers can be a daunting task for amateur naturalists. Thankfully, technology has stepped in to help with a variety of feather identification apps now available. These apps allow users to quickly identify feathers they find using visual recognition software and artificial intelligence.
How do feather ID apps work?
Feather ID apps like Merlin Bird ID, PictureThis, and Seek work by allowing users to take a photo of the feather they want to identify. The app then uses visual recognition software to analyze the photo and compare it against a database of known bird feathers to find a match.
Factors like color, pattern, shape, and size are all used to narrow down the possibilities. Location data further helps the app make an accurate identification by eliminating birds that don’t live in that geographic area. The AI behind the apps continues to improve over time as more feather photos are added to the database.
Top 3 feather identification apps
Merlin Bird ID
Developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Merlin Bird ID is one of the most popular feather ID apps. Users take a photo of the feather and answer a few simple questions about size, color, and location. Merlin then offers a list of possible matches with photos and descriptions.
In addition to feathers, Merlin can identify birds by song recordings, entering visual descriptions, and more. The app covers over 6,500 species across North America, Europe, and Australia.
PictureThis
PictureThis is a broader visual recognition app that can identify over 1,000 plant and animal species. The plant identification features are more robust, but it does include an accurate feather identification component.
Users upload a high-quality photo of the feather and PictureThis will provide multiple options complete with probabilities of each match. Location filters and an AI-powered algorithm provide reliable results.
Seek by iNaturalist
Part of the iNaturalist network, Seek allows users to photograph any plant or animal and get crowd-sourced identifications. While less specialized than Merlin and PictureThis, it has the advantage of a much larger user base providing identifications.
Upload a photo of the feather and fill out some additional details. The global iNaturalist community will then provide suggestions on the species based on visual appearance and your location.
Pros and cons of feather ID apps
Feather ID apps provide a host of advantages for amateur naturalists:
Pros:
- Convenient – Identify feathers anytime, anywhere with just a smartphone camera.
- Fast – Get reliable results in seconds rather than having to consult field guides.
- Powerful AI – Algorithms continue to improve and can now identify even fragmentary feathers.
- Location filtering – ID is limited to just birds known to live in the area where the feather was found.
- Educational – Apps provide photos, descriptions, and audio of the birds they identify.
Cons:
- Photo quality – Poor photos make it harder for the app to identify the feather accurately.
- Small feathers – Downy body feathers and tiny breast feathers can be hard to photograph clearly.
- Shed feathers – Worn, faded feathers missing their distinctive patterns are more difficult to ID.
- No expert verification – There’s no ornithologist double-checking the app’s identification for accuracy.
Tips for improving feather ID app results
Follow these tips when photographing unknown feathers to get the most precise identification:
- Use good lighting – Natural sunlight is best, avoid shadows and flash.
- Fill the frame – Get as close as possible to capture the whole feather.
- Show the edges – Photograph the distinct outer edges and shapes of the feather.
- Multiple angles – Take photos of both sides of the feather showing all details.
- Include the base – The widened base part provides important ID clues.
The future of feather identification
Computer vision and AI will continue advancing the capabilities of feather ID apps. A few ways they may improve in the future include:
- Larger databases – Adding more bird species will allow for more obscure birds to be recognized.
- DNA analysis – Collecting tiny feather fragments for DNA barcoding analysis to confirm an ID.
- Augmented reality – Apps could overlay information when a user points their phone camera at a bird.
- 3D modeling – Building detailed 3D models of feathers to allow identifying ruffled and broken feathers.
In addition to new technologies, having more citizen scientists upload quality feather photos to the apps will grow their databases and improve accuracy over time.
Conclusion
Feather identification apps like Merlin Bird ID are a game-changer for amateur naturalists. By leveraging the power of computer vision and artificial intelligence, they allow anyone to quickly identify feathers with just the camera on their smartphone. As the technology continues advancing, the apps will get even faster, more accurate, and able to identify more obscure species.
Armed with a feather ID app, you can satisfy your curiosity anytime you come across an unknown feather in your backyard or on a hike. Just remember to take high-quality photos and provide helpful location details to get the best identifications.