Alkas vs. Merlin Bird ID
Merlin tells you what bird you're hearing. Alkas teaches you to recognize it next time. They solve different problems - and they're better together.
The short version
Merlin is Cornell Lab's free bird identification app. Point your phone at a bird or let it listen, and Merlin tells you the species. It's used by millions of birders and it's genuinely excellent at what it does.
But Merlin identifies birds for you. After years of using it, you still need your phone to name a warbler. The knowledge lives in the app, not in your head.
Alkas picks up where Merlin leaves off. It uses spaced repetition to help you memorize the species Merlin identifies - so next time you hear that song or spot those field marks, you recognize the bird yourself. And Alkas covers all wildlife, not just birds.
Instant answers vs. lasting knowledge
Merlin: Identify what you see
You hear a bird singing. Open Merlin, let it listen, and it tells you it's a Wood Thrush. You see an unfamiliar raptor - snap a photo, and Merlin identifies it as a Cooper's Hawk. Instant, accurate, satisfying.
Tomorrow you hear the same song. You open Merlin again. Next week, same raptor, same photo. The identification never transfers from the app to you.
Alkas: Remember what you identify
You create a deck for your region. Alkas shows you a photo and asks: what species? You struggle with Cooper's Hawk vs. Sharp-shinned Hawk. The card comes back tomorrow. Then in three days. Then a week. Each time, it gets easier.
After a month, you see a raptor in the field and recognize the Cooper's Hawk by its rounded tail and size - without reaching for your phone. That's the difference between identification and knowledge.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Alkas | Merlin Bird ID |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | Learn to identify species yourself through spaced repetition | Instant bird identification by photo or sound using AI |
| Species covered | 152,000+ species - birds, mammals, insects, plants, fungi, reptiles, and more | Birds only (~10,000 species worldwide) |
| Learning tools | Flashcards, spaced repetition (FSRS), mastery tracking, study streaks | None - AI identifies for you |
| Sound ID | Audio study cards for bird calls (no real-time AI sound ID) | Real-time bird sound identification |
| Photos | Community-voted photos optimized for identification learning | Curated reference photos from Cornell/Macaulay Library |
| Identification traits | Community-curated traits (appearance, behavior, habitat) attached to species | AI-generated ID suggestions, species info pages |
| Study decks | Custom decks by region, park, taxa, season, or traits | Not available |
| Life list | iNaturalist connection + eBird (includes Merlin) / Audubon CSV import | Automatic life list from photo/sound IDs (syncs to eBird) |
| Trip preparation | Build a deck for any park, study species before you go | Bird packs by region (species info, no study tools) |
| Pricing | Free | Free (funded by Cornell Lab) |
Better together
Merlin and Alkas aren't really competitors. Merlin is for the field - when you need an answer right now. Alkas is for home - when you want to build the knowledge so you need Merlin less and less.
The workflow: Use Merlin to identify birds during your walk. When you get home, open Alkas and study the species from your region. Over time, you'll recognize more birds by sight and sound before Merlin even processes.
Cornell Lab themselves recognized this gap. That's why they built BirdWise - a separate app for learning bird identification. Merlin identifies, BirdWise teaches. Alkas does what BirdWise does, but for all wildlife, with spaced repetition, and with community-powered content.
Merlin already syncs your identifications to eBird, so your Merlin life list is your eBird life list. Import your eBird data into Alkas and every species Merlin has identified for you is ready to study. You can also connect your iNaturalist account to import species you've observed, and Audubon Bird Guide exports work the same way.
Cornell's own BirdWise about page makes the division explicit: "Merlin is designed for in-the-moment identification and eBird is for logging observations." Learning is a separate need - and Merlin isn't going to fill it.
The identification crutch
Merlin is so good that it can become a crutch. When the app always has the answer, there's no reason to learn it yourself. Some birders notice this after years of use: they can name hundreds of species with Merlin open, but struggle to identify common backyard birds with the app closed.
That's not a criticism of Merlin - it's designed for real-time identification, and it's the best at it. But if your goal is to develop personal field skills - to walk through a forest and recognize what you see and hear - you need active practice. Spaced repetition is how you get there.
Birders want to learn, not just identify
"I want to learn as many birds as possible so that when I start finding them I can already know what I'm looking at."
"There is a difference between using a tool to identify a specific bird, and learning what to listen for."
"I use Merlin to help identify as I come across them. I don't really have any base of knowledge about birds. Is there any content you recommend so I can learn more in a fun and engaging way?"
"I'm looking for something that would show me a pic of the bird, and then I have to look up what it is to identify it. I've looked around quizlet, Kahoot, and lots of bird watching apps, but I can't seem to find any quizzes or anything of the sort that could help."
When Merlin Bird ID is better
- - You need to identify a bird right now in the field
- - You want real-time sound identification
- - You want a quick answer without studying
- - You want a native mobile app with offline bird packs
When Alkas is better
- + You want to recognize species without pulling out your phone
- + You want to learn more than just birds
- + You want proven spaced repetition for lasting memory
- + You're preparing for a trip and want to learn species you'll encounter
- + You want community-curated identification traits on your flashcards
- + You want to connect your iNaturalist or eBird life list
Turn identifications into knowledge
Keep using Merlin in the field. Use Alkas to make the knowledge stick. Free.
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