Top Problems With Bird Finder Apps in 2026

28% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"Beware: this app and its companion Merlin Bird ID do not work unless there's an internet connection. Thus, most places where one is observing birds are internet dead zones, no cell connection, and the apps are useless."

"Though they say it should work without connection it does not. App searches for location and when it fails, asks if you like to try again, find on map (which of course doesn't work without a connection), or use a recent location."

22% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"I would love to use this app, but requiring precise location is a deal-breaker for me. I shouldn't have to provide Cornell my home address in order to download bird packs."

"I cannot add a checklist using my mobile phone after I get home, because eBird insists on using my current location (my private address) as my birding location. This is unacceptable and there seems to be no alternative."

18% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"Do NOT even bother installing or use the eBird app on your phone unless you have a backup battery with you. Recent updates cause intense battery draw-down, with no work-around. The likely cause is because eBird tracks your movement while you're birding."

"But the battery drain on my iPhone 14 Pro Max is unbearable and unbelievable."

20% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"This app is surprisingly hard to use. I though a Cornell app would be state of the art, but you can't search location."

"This app makes no sense. It's not at all intuitive nor consistent."

15% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"If you are lucky enough to spot a bird that they don't believe should be in your area and you report it, you'll likely get an email explaining why you couldn't possibly have seen what you saw."

"This app is really fun because you can track your sightings and also help science. It would be helpful if there was a photo of the bird next to each listing because you have to search outside the app. The worst part though is that so-called 'experts'"

16% of negative reviews mention this issue.

"I have used eBird and loved it for many years. However, there is a major glitch in this latest update. The app keeps shutting down. As in it self-terminates unexpectedly and repeatedly."

"App crashes often on a 256gb iPhone 7, deleting bird tallies. If you open another app while tracking birds (iMessage, safari, etc) and go back to ebird, your bird list is gone."

Forced to use app in ways that don't match birding behavior

App assumes users want detailed scientific checklists with counts, locations, and tracking for every observation. Casual birders just want to log what they see quickly without the overhead of starting formal checklists.

"Since this was developed to support citizen science, this app wants more detail than the average birder may want to interrupt their birding to provide."

Cannot see or sync checklists across devices

Users expect cloud sync when logged in but can only see checklists submitted from current device, breaking the mental model of account-based data.

"I'm signed into my ebird account but I can only see checklists submitted from this device. I should be able to see all checklists I've submitted from any device when I'm signed in."

Login and account setup is broken and circular

Multiple users report being unable to create accounts, reset passwords, or understand if they already have accounts, with no email confirmations arriving.

"Tried to create an account but it won't let me - in fact, it's as if I already have an account with the email I entered. Then it said it would email me my list of accounts (maybe it's tied to my Merlin account?) No email came."

App shows scientific names instead of common names

Users suddenly see Latin names they don't recognize, making lists incomprehensible for casual birders who learn common names.

"I have used and loved this app for a long time. I opened it today and hardly recognized it. Species are listed in Latin, which I do not know, and bears no resemblance to old lists which I could just easily go down and check off."