Bird-watching is a hobby that has delighted enthusiasts for centuries – and technology is making it more accessible for beginners. For World Wildlife Day on 3 March, we look at the best apps for bird-watching.

eBird by Cornell University

While Cornell is based in the US, its eBird app can be used around the world. eBird is a sighting recording app that allows you to log the different types of birds you’ve spotted during an outing. This keeps a record of your sightings and shares them as open data for research and other enthusiasts. This data is also used to share regional hotspots for bird sightings, which you can access on the eBird website. You can even download region-specific packs, which include local species of birds, making checking bird sightings off your list easier.

eBird is available on the Google Play Store and App Store.

GoBird

GoBird packages the open data from eBird in a more user-friendly and convenient app, allowing you to find hotspots for bird sightings near you. GoBird also includes high-resolution images of birds to refresh your memory and make sure you have the right species in mind. 

When selecting a specific bird species you are interested in, you can explore photos, audio recordings, locations, recent sightings and a Wikipedia article on the bird.

GoBird is available on the Google Play Store and App Store.

BirdPro

BirdPro helps you identify a bird by filtering through certain features such as feather colours, size and region. The free app is limited to 100 birds, with paid versions opening access to more bird species. It also contains useful information such as migration patterns for birds and a SmartSearch function.

BirdPro is available on the Google Play Store and App Store.

Ensuring the survival of our planet is one of Vodacom's goals as part of our Connecting for Good initiative. Find out how Vodacom is improving the planet here and visit our #Datawyze page for tips on how to save data while using these apps.