iBird Pro Guide to Birds Reviews

by OkiiKuma

I have used iBird Pro for a few years and purchased all of the in app options. I used Photo Sleuth often and it worked fine until I upgraded to version 12.6. It would prompt me to install another Photo Sleuth or restore purchases. I tried several times and the restore would always fail. I messaged the developer and they had me delete and reinstall the complete app again. It still did not work after restoring purchases. The developers last response was I would need to update to the latest IOS. I explained if that was the case then why would it let me download and install it? In all apps I have ever updated on my apple phones, it will check the version of IOS and if not compatible it would not let you install it or indicate to use another version of iBirdProGuidetoBirds . The developer was not helpful when I indicated this and has not responsive. How about fixing the issue?

by FrustratedwithiBird

I see or hear a bird, I type in a possible name, then tap the choice for the bird i want. info comes up. I “close” that entry, then do the same several times while on a bird hike. Then, suddenly, after iBird has been working great, I’ll type in a bird name, and get a blank screen, with “4 birds” or “2 birds” at the top of the screen. Browse just brings up another menu of stuff like “birds around me,” etc. The three lines info icon on the upper right offers no choice to reset iBirdProGuidetoBirds , close open screens, or any way to get back to the alpha bird list. So far, the only recourse is to stop watching birds and shut down my iPhone. Just what I want to do while trying to I’d a bird! I even installed a new version a few months ago but the same thing is still happening.

by NorNorEs

I’ve had iBirdProGuidetoBirds in my phone for a few months now, and I have not opened it even once in the field. I find it generally difficult to navigate, not to mention that there are much better FREE field guide apps out there.
Also, I heard an interview on a birding podcast, This Birding Life, from quite a few years back of the maker of iBirdProGuidetoBirds (Mitchell Waite): he essentially said that he sent poor artists in third world countries photos and illustrations of birds and asked them to put their own spin on it so it wasn’t straight-up copyright infringement. He was very proud of “outsourcing” and getting this work done on the cheap. Perhaps this is also why some of the images are not that great. Most bird guides with illustrations include paintings done by people who have actually seen these birds in real life, so the results are much more true to life.
Don’t waste your money. Get Merlin Bird ID or the Audubon apps instead; they include a good field guide with other great features, and they’re free.

by WillieBT

I just downloaded iBirdProGuidetoBirds and the first thing I did was look at the Rd-tailed Hawk info, a bird I have studied for over 50 years and I am very familiar with. Looking at the photos, there are some that are obviously mislabeled. The photo labeled “Red-tailed Hawk Juvenile 1” is actually an adult as evidenced by the dark chestnut colored iris and the varied colors on the bird instead of the light iris and more monotoned colors of a juvenile. Conversely, the photo labeled “Adult Red-tailed Hawk Adult 3-Flight” is actually a juvenile bird as evidenced by the light iris, the lack of a dark sub-terminal band on the secondary wing feathers, and the thinly banded tail feathers with no broad sub- terminal band and no red coloration. With almost a quarter (22.2%) of the photos mislabeled, this brings into question the validity of the labels on all of the other photos in iBirdProGuidetoBirds . I am immediately feeling buyer’s remote after purchasing iBirdProGuidetoBirds. I would recommend spending your hard earned money on Sibley’s app instead.

by Flinstone

Well, bought most of the features of IBird Pro. I went to use the Photo Sleuth portion and it immediately directs me to the features purchase screen. I have purchased it once... because it started showing UPDATE instead of OWNED it charged me twice....$4.99 to download again. It gets to 80% install then fails to finish or says failed. I have sent 2 emails to developer with no response as of this review. I have the iPhone 11 Max Pro with 512GB so space is not an issue for iBirdProGuidetoBirds. This is probably the most important reason I wanted iBirdProGuidetoBirds. The interface could use a better layout with less congestion. Even with the biggest iPhone screen it is jammed together on the menus. Would I buy it again...No. I don’t like apps that take your money then don’t work.

by Pmoliver

I’ve had iNird for 4 years, but didn’t purchase BAM until today. In New Mexico I didn’t need it. I’m moving to FL. There is an Intracoastal Waterway that separates beachside and landslide. I’ll be beachside. I’ll miss my New Mexico backyard birds enormously and wanted to know what songbirds I can attract to my beachside backyard. So I bought BAM assuming the address search would allow me to constrain my search to beachside. IT DIDN’T. BAM allows minimum of 25 mile radius. I don’t even want to know what birds might be 3 miles west of me, let alone 25 miles. I am more than disgusted. It was only $2.99 but I feel tricked, conned, ripped off. I want a refund.
UPDATE
I frequently see Curved Bill Thrashers in my NM yard. Since I just bought BAM today, I decided to give BAM another chance to look up the Curved Bill Thrasher to find out what it’s been eating. I set it to use my GPS for the search to make it easier to find. The search didn’t even return Curved Bill Thrasher!!!!! I’ve been seeing this bird all the time for 4 years while backyard birding and looking it up using the Location feature for NM. It’s always appeared in the list. And BAM excluded it? Come on guys. Somethings’s definitely wrong with BAM. Talk to me, guys. I’m very unhappy.

by MKB58

I have been using versions of iBirds for many years. iBirdProGuidetoBirds no longer links to iBird Journal where I kept my lists of birds viewed and my life list. Those lists were important to me. I have tried to use notes and lists in this current version of iBirds Pro and they don’t seem to be saved anywhere I can find, so iBirdProGuidetoBirds is not useful for keeping up with your sightings. I wish the authors would take a hint from the Peterson Field Guide and group birds that look similar like the various sparrows, hawks (esp overhead views), etc. You can narrow what is shown by picking a body type like “perching bird”, but this really doesn’t limit it enough to compare similar looking birds quickly. Once you have identified a bird there is a good amount of information about the species. There are some useful extra purchases to help narrow birds to those around you by location and season. These are extra purchases, however. This does end up excluding birds you might actually see sometimes. With climate change I am seeing birds that used to not be common in my area. I suspect my locale is not unique in that.

by Stvme

I have been trying to figure out how to email the developer but have not been able to figure it out. This was my go to App for Birding until a recent update seems to take away the ability to search by month and state. You can still search by state but not by month. It is frustrating because I like to use iBirdProGuidetoBirds not only in the field but when I am planning for a trip. I am currently hoping to go to Arizona in May and I cannot use iBirdProGuidetoBirds for review because I cannot get a relevant list up. Maybe they think that the “Birds Around Me” is an upgrade but it doesn’t help when you do not have a cellular connection and it definitely doesn’t help in planning for a trip. I still think it has the best collection of vocalizations of any App out there which is why I gave it a three, and I will correct my rating if this gets fixed, but I will literally have to be looking for a different app to use if it does not get fixed.

by Nadawolf Upset

This is my third purchase of the so called iBird program. It seems every time I purchase a version of it, after a few years it is dropped, no longer supported and to keep using the program, I have to keep shelling out big “bucks”. With this one it keeps trying to get me to purchase bird sleuth even though I already own it, ask me to purchase birds of Hawaii which I also own. You can not tie the programs in with this version. And now I am waiting to see if it going to ask me to purchase the bird journal, which I also own. Buy this program, but, expect to have to re purchase it a new, after a few years.
Wish they would restore the iBird journal link, it was very handy in making entries without having to open another application just to note a sighting.

by Fjpoblam

We finally noted that some of the raven sounds are from other (faraway) parts of the country, and we recall, ravens are wise old birds. Not always their language. Sometimes they react in silence, as if to say, “What?”

Also remember to read the description: if the call is one of birds in fear or alarm, you may well note that nearby birds start flying away in fear or alarm.

I note iBirdProGuidetoBirds is of late getting updates describing IAPs with fancy-schmancy new features. I hope this does not portend an overall IAP for a new version of iBirdProGuidetoBirds (rendering this current version obsolete). Already, instead of the available Bird Sleuth IAP, we use Merlin. I’d be sorrowful to see the end of iBird Pro due to built-in obsolescence.

by JimFeet

iBird Pro is the only useful IOS bird field guide as far as I’m concerned. My only complaint is the failure to support edits in the search bar. Not only can I not edit by clicking in the text, the “X” clear button at the end of the text field can’t be accessed requiring repeated letter-by-letter delete keystrokes. Thankfully Apple’s cursor navigation via the space bar permits correction for misspelling. Why hasn’t this trivial item been fixed?

Otherwise all other field guides should follow iBird’s lead on how to organize and present animals, flowers and insects.

by Biokat13

I’ve had iBirdProGuidetoBirds for years and I swear you used be able to search by season. Not anymore, which is a terrible decision. And if it was never an option then it’s a terrible decision to continue not having a search by season option. Also, when filtering by state iBirdProGuidetoBirds doesn’t actually list all bird species. According to iBird there are no Woodhouse’s scrub-jays in Texas, which is entirely false. Who knows how many other species it’s excluding from the Texas list or any other state for that matter.

For an app that claims to be the highest rated bird app (it’s not by the way, Audubon Birds is higher rated AND free) it sure feels like iBird is losing its superiority.

by Mainely Birds

I own the other standard authoritative birding books: IBird is the best. It has great descriptions and pictures and photos to help identify distinguish birds. It’s similar birds option is extremely useful. It’s range map is perfect. It’s bird recordings are useful and accurate. The other information in the site, bird by bird, is invaluable. Additionally the photo and sound identity tools are great. I use iBirdProGuidetoBirds especially in the field along with Merlin and eBird, also mandatory and those are free. Best birding book you can own especially if you can afford only one. It is the one and only.

by FiddlerEd

I am new at imaging birds and other wildlife. iBirdProGuidetoBirds is helping me learn more about what I take pictures of. My one complaint is not necessarily aimed at the makers of iBirdProGuidetoBirds as much as it is a complaint that Apple changes their software protocols forcing developers to have to rewrite their apps if they want to keep them up to date. Sometimes changes so large the software you bought does not work forcing you to have to rebuy it again because the programmers had to remake the software to work with apples new changes andit is technically a whole new program.

by Dintystew22

iBirdProGuidetoBirds was recommended to me by a serious birder as “iBirdProGuidetoBirds to have if you only have one”. I have been happy with it for many years, as I can look up birds without having to carry a bird book around. I am now getting into birding more seriously and use iBirdProGuidetoBirds a lot more often. I am still very satisfied, however I have not used many other apps to compare. Features that I love:
1. Having the songs
2. The photos are great for cross referencing with illustrations
3. The “Behavior” tab contains lots of useful information, especially more detail on similar birds

Some suggestions that would be helpful:
1. More illustrations for some birds - showing variation and different angles.
2. Having the listing function sync with eBird. I find I’m constantly switching back and forth and would like to stay in one app, but do what I do in both (not sure this is possible).

Overall I recommend iBirdProGuidetoBirds frequently and feel it was well worth the cost.

by Resortonahill

IBird has been my Go-to app since it first became available. I use it to help verify sound, habitat, and images out in the field. The detailed drawings are very helpful in identifying the birds. During an interview Mitch described those detailed drawings were supplied by individuals who depended on less than ideal sources to provide power to their computers so they could send him the images. That makes me appreciate iBirdProGuidetoBirds all the more. I've used other apps but this one works the very best for me because of the organization and ease of locating the specific piece of information I I am interested in at the time.

by Nalarider

We really like iBird Pro and have not had any problems with version 11.0 on iPhone 8 or iPad Air 2. The illustrations with field marks and photos help a lot with identifications. The bird sounds are also very helpful. My wife and I have enjoyed using it for several years, especially last spring when a Cooper's Hawk built a nest and raised a family in our neighbor's tree. A few months after the hawk family had moved on, my wife was in a nearby town doing some shopping. She came out of a store to find a large crowd gathered around her car. Thinking somebody had hit her car, she started walking toward the car until somebody warned her not to get too close. On top of the car was a Cooper's Hawk with a dead rabbit. Whenever anybody tried to 'shoo' it away the bird threatened them with loud calls and thrashing wings. My wife took out her phone, launched iBird Pro, turned the volume up loud and played the Cooper's Hawk alarm call. The hawk on the car looked surprised and puzzled, looked around for another bird, then took off carrying it's prey. Everybody was astonished and my wife was pleased and proud of her quick thinking. One of the women in the crowd asked loudly, "What app is that? I want to buy it!" You probably got several new iBird Pro customers as a result.

by Firstshot

I’m an amateur ornithologist, so this bird app has been a huge help identifying birds I’ve photographed. I shoot nature and travel photos, so I tend to be opportunistic when It comes to photographing birds. Then I have the task of identifying them if they are unfamiliar. iBirdProGuidetoBirds offers the huge benefit of the bird’s call which has been of great assistance. People in the field with me get a big kick out it as well.
Nicely done. I’ve literally been using iBirdProGuidetoBirds since it came out and through various name changes. Finally decided to rate it. Didn’t want to rush into it :)

by Peonylynn

Since my fanatic birding friend suggested iBirdProGuidetoBirds and I follow her birding advice, I love iBirdProGuidetoBirds. Often I just get lost in the information or trying to find the dang bird, I’m often convinced the bird I’m looking for is the rare and endangered arctic bird that iBird fortunately corrects me on. Traveling as I do, being able to put in the location I’m at is a time saver and keeps me away from the rare endangered arctic species 😂 it instantly lets me familiarize myself with I can expect to see. I recommend iBirdProGuidetoBirds to anyone interested.

by Bombo Mama

I like iBirdProGuidetoBirds a lot. But recently I have been getting frequent pop-ups that I have to click on, otherwise I cannot continue with iBirdProGuidetoBirds . The pop ups sometimes occur about once a minute. I don’t know if these are virus portals or actual pop-ups by iBird. In any case, I have to delete iBirdProGuidetoBirds and reinstall to get rid of the pop-ups. It is almost near impossible to submit a request through the contact form. It requires information at the end that a person would not have at their fingertips, so then you have to close down the contact form, get the information and re-open the contact form. I had to do this five times. I have a feeling they make the form so complex you cannot submit it.

UPDATE: The pop-up issue has been resolved. The only glitch is that I cannot delete the last bird I searched for using the “X” in the search line. I have to backspace to remove it. Fortunately, I am now entering band codes. Is there a way to fix this? I don’t have this problem on other apps.

by Dogbutt1965

Content and navigation is generally good. Biggest issue for me is the poor filtering capabilities and numerous errors within the filters. Countless errors with missing species when filtering by State - enough that you cannot trust iBirdProGuidetoBirds filter for location (eg, American Oystercatcher and Laughing Gull do not reside in CT according to their filters. As I am looking at both of these species from the CT shoreline while typing this, it is a bit odd). Also, it is not possible to select multiple families to filter by - it would be nice to be able to select ‘ducks’, ‘herons’, ‘rails’, and ‘sandpipers’ when I am out birding my local marsh. Tech support tells me I should just use the ‘birds around me’ feature to solve all these issues. Unfortunately, this is an add-on purchase above fees already paid for the program, so a bit of a disappointing response for not fixing their bugs.