英语分级阅读 · Level 3 · technology|nature|education · 约 355 词
手机识鸟App让年轻人爱上观鸟
像Merlin Bird ID这样的手机App正帮助更多年轻人通过拍照或听声识别鸟类，让观鸟变得更有趣、更简单。
Birdwatching, a hobby that once required heavy field guides and years of experience, is changing quickly. Today, a new generation of nature lovers is using smartphones to identify birds with just a photo or a sound. This shift is making the activity more accessible and exciting for younger people around the world.
Merlin Bird ID, an app developed by Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, is at the center of this trend. Launched in the United States in 2014, the app now identifies 11,000 bird species, a huge increase from the 285 species it recognized at the start. In 2026 alone, Merlin was downloaded 12 million times, bringing its total downloads to 42 million. The app uses machine learning and recordings submitted by birdwatchers worldwide to improve its accuracy.
Megan Szostak, a 26-year-old birdwatcher from San Francisco, says the app has made her hobby much easier. "I can point my phone at a bird and learn its name in seconds," she explains. Merlin's Sound ID tool, which works like the music app Shazam, has been used for 4.4 billion identifications. Other apps, such as Birda, have also seen a 31% rise in downloads this year.
In the UK, Sam Lewis, a 32-year-old software engineer from Stockport, created a new app called Lifer. Lifer turns birdwatching into a game by letting users collect virtual cards for their sightings. It also hides the exact locations of rare breeding birds during sensitive periods to protect them. The app sends qualifying sightings to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, helping scientists track bird populations.
Jessie Barry, director of Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, says the goal is to keep Merlin simple and encourage people to get outside. She believes that technology can help more people connect with nature. The rise of bird ID apps reflects a broader trend of using technology to enhance outdoor hobbies.
As more young people pick up binoculars and smartphones, birdwatching is becoming a shared, global experience. These apps are not only making identification easier but also supporting conservation efforts. In the future, technology may continue to bridge the gap between digital life and the natural world.
中文参考
观鸟这项曾经需要厚重的野外指南和多年经验的爱好，正在迅速改变。如今，新一代自然爱好者只需用智能手机拍摄照片或声音就能识别鸟类。这一转变让这项活动对世界各地的年轻人来说变得更加容易接触且充满趣味。
由康奈尔大学鸟类学实验室开发的Merlin Bird ID应用程序正处于这一趋势的中心。该应用于2014年在美国推出，现在可以识别11,000种鸟类，相比最初能识别的285种有了巨大的增长。仅在2026年，Merlin就被下载了1200万次，使其总下载量达到4200万次。该应用使用机器学习以及全球观鸟者提交的录音来提高其准确性。
来自旧金山的26岁观鸟者Megan Szostak表示，这款应用让她的爱好变得容易多了。她解释说：“我可以把手机对准一只鸟，几秒钟内就能知道它的名字。”Merlin的Sound ID工具像音乐应用Shazam一样工作，已被用于44亿次识别。其他应用，如Birda，今年的下载量也增长了31%。
在英国，来自Stockport的32岁软件工程师Sam Lewis创建了一款名为Lifer的新应用。Lifer通过让用户为他们的目击记录收集虚拟卡片，将观鸟变成了一种游戏。它还会在敏感时期隐藏稀有繁殖鸟类的确切位置以保护它们。该应用会将符合条件的目击记录发送给全球生物多样性信息设施，帮助科学家追踪鸟类种群。
康奈尔大学鸟类学实验室主任Jessie Barry表示，目标是让Merlin保持简单并鼓励人们到户外去。她相信技术可以帮助更多人亲近自然。鸟类识别应用的兴起反映了利用技术增强户外爱好的更广泛趋势。
随着越来越多的年轻人拿起双筒望远镜和智能手机，观鸟正在成为一种共享的全球体验。这些应用不仅让识别变得更容易，还支持了保护工作。未来，技术可能会继续弥合数字生活与自然世界之间的差距。