iBird Ultimate Guide to Birds app for iPhone and iPad

4.4 ( 3104 ratings )

Reference Education
Developer: Mitch Waite Group

4.99 USD

Current version: 13.2, last update: 9 months ago
First release : 15 May 2014
App size: 1.75 Gb

Behold, the most comprehensive and awe-inspiring fixed-price birding app for the iPhone, has undergone a stunning transformation! iBird Ultimate has risen to new heights with the addition of the 2019-2020 American Ornithological Union (AOU) standard, making it a true birdwatchers dream. It is now 100% compatible with iOS 16 and Silicon-based Macintosh. It boasts a vast database of 967 species of birds in North America, 343 species from the United Kingdom and Ireland, 228 species found in Hawaii, and 169 bird species from the enigmatic island nation of Palau.

But this is not your ordinary digital field guide, for iBird Ultimate has an incredible new feature that will leave you breathless. iBird Photo Sleuth is powered by artificial intelligence using a neural network, which enables you to identify any bird from any photo you take or upload. Imagine the possibilities! With just a snap of your iPhone or iPad camera, you can unlock the secrets of the winged creatures that soar above us.

iBird Pro is a birding encyclopedia at your fingertips, with more information on each species than in any app. And thats not all, for iBird Ultimate offers both photographs and field-marked illustrations for every species. Whats more, it has composite illustrations that highlight the important identification markings of the bird family, something that photographs cannot do. But fear not, as iBird Ultimate also includes multiple photos of every species of bird - including the male, female, juvenile, and subspecies - so you can see how they appear in real life.

But the real magic lies in Percevia™, the only parametric birding search engine that can turn anyone into an expert birder, with over 35 characteristics that can be searched, such as body color, GPS location, habitat, bill shape, and song type. The beauty of iBird is it always gives an answer; no more “bird not found” messages.

Another unique feature of iBird Ultimate is that no internet connection is required to use iBird Pro in the field, making it the perfect companion for birding adventures. And now, with its consolidated architecture, iBird Ultimate’s default North American database can be supplemented with databases of other countries, such as Hawaii or the United Kingdom. You can instantly switch between them inside the app, making it easier than ever to explore the world of birds.

But thats not all! iBird Pro offers a range of features that will elevate your birding experience to new heights. With Birds Around Me (BAM), you can see just those species within a radius surrounding your GPS location. Time-of-Day lets you search for birds by activity levels during the day or night, dawn, dusk, and more. And lets not forget Owls of Mexico, which includes illustrations with field marks, range maps, songs, and calls for 16 remarkable Owl species.

So, what are you waiting for? Version 13.2 of iBird Ultimate is waiting for you, with 38 new illustrations just waiting to be discovered. The birding world will never be the same again!

EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ (https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/)

Pros and cons of iBird Ultimate Guide to Birds app for iPhone and iPad

iBird Ultimate Guide to Birds app good for

Just got the app couple of days ago, after trying several others. This app has helped me identify several types of birds in my backyard, by sound and by sight.

Excellent app. The search feature makes it really easy to identify species of birds

I really like iBird. It has allowed me to identify several birds visiting my yard that Id been unsure about. I live in an isolated area so occasionally I get birds moving through the area I am unfamiliar with. I especially appreciate the sounds and actual pictures.

Has so much. Bought on the Ultimate Birder Pack. A great deal.

I love this app. It is quick & easy to use. The pictures are wonderful.

This app has so many features that I mistakenly gave it 4 stars at first because I hadnt dug deep enough. I have had it now for 9 months and use it a lot. I have learned more from this app then any other book or app. about the birds specific to my region. The sounds are so realistic that I accidentally frightened a piliated woodpecker when playing its calls. It was worth every penny.

Some bad moments

This is a very good app and has a lot of information. Im giving it two stars because the top price says $22.00 then reading below says its on sale price for $19.99 from $29. When I bought the app thinking I would pay the $19, I was charged about $26!!! This app is false advertising and the prices are all wrong!! Be very careful when deciding on these ibird apps like this one.

References are wonderful. Dont know why Dropbox was dropped. It worked fine. Now that theyve gone to iCloud my favorites are gone and the app wont save my favorites. This was a time saving feature. Made the app user friendly. Apple strikes again! Also, keeps telling me that the nickname Ive chosen was taken. Then kicks me out of the review process.

Each update is 2G and takes most of a day to download for me (between the various apps -- this is 1.2G and the other is 800M). There has been two sets of updates within the past two weeks. They need an incremental update and less often. Seriously, of the 2G of data, wasnt most of it the same both times. Get up with modern times.

This app works great for a newbie like myself. Ive IDd birds easily that I didnt recognize using it that I doubt I could have persevered to find any other way. The wealth and depth of knowledge in this apt along with the visuals in both drawing and photos along with the bird sounds of each species makes this app both interesting and incredibly useful and educational.

Very helpful for field ID, with detailed species markings that can be turned on or off, along with several excellent, varied photos for each species, a page of well-organized descriptive detail about birds appearance and habitat. Multiple song and call recordings for each species is an astounding asset for ID, and periodically draws responses from nearby birds. iBird Ultimate provides lots of room for field notes, couple clicks enters time/date and GPS of sightings. Theres also an informative conservation status screen for each species. For better or worse, this app is a game-changer in the field as long as you have battery power. Appreciate how its developers appear focused on improving what is already a very good birding guide.

Excellent app, so glad I read the WSJ article on birding and saw it was one of the apps recommended.

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