Identifying bird song with Chirp! is like having a personal bird expert with you at all times. The large database of recordings and images help you learn and remember the calls, so you’ll eventually recognise a bird without even seeing it. To make learning more efficient, the app includes quizzes to test your knowledge and memory.
In the app, all bird species are sorted alphabetically in a list or you can search for specific species using the search function. If you only know a little information you can browse by commonness, habitat, song style or bird group.
The main feature of the app is obviously the bird songs. These are up to 40 seconds long and sound really crisp and clear. The voiceover option reads out the name of the bird at the end of the call, which is great for group games to see who can guess the bird first.
What makes Chirp! great for the classroom is the quiz section. Here you can choose from one of three quizzes or create your own with exact birds. As a lot of the birds have very similar calls, you can challenge even the most expert of birdwatchers.
The app covers a huge collection of birds from all over Europe, including Britain, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
The creators of the app also have something rather special. A new app called ChirpOMatic features Shazaam-like technology that allows you to identify birds just by letting your iPhone or iPad listen to the call. Amazing!