January 21, 2014

New Cornell University Ornithology App Merlin Is ‘Magical’

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By AIMEE CHO

Thanks to a new phone application developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, birds around campus can easily be identified in a matter of seconds.

The free iOS application Merlin is designed to be a “friend and a birding coach for beginners,” according to Miyoko Chu, senior director of communications for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Chu said the name “Merlin” represents the application’s “seemingly magical ability to identify birds.” “However, the magic of the app is really in the science and the help from the thousands of people who helped build it,” she said.

(Shailee Shah / Sun Photo Editor)