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Birdwatching is really having a moment. What was once deemed the reserve of patient retirees armed with a bird book and pair of binoculars has now been taken to another level. Apps like Merlin – which identifies bird calls – are getting shout outs from celebs like Ariana Grande, while social media influencers are touting birdwatching as a way to reconnect with nature. Even Vogue said it was ‘cool’.
Now there’s yet another way to get into birding and twitching in the UK. An app called Birdex has launched which turns birdwatching into a real-life game. That’s right, just like dating, online shopping and fitness, twitching has been gamified. And it’s already taking off, with more than 200,000 sightings logged so far.
Much like Pokémon Go, the app gamifies the outdoors. Users earn points every time they spot and log a UK bird species, collecting digital cards as they go. The rarer the bird, the bigger the reward. You can track your sightings, build your collection and even compete with friends to see who’s the top twitcher.
Birdex says it aims to educate users about Britain’s birdlife, encouraging people to spend more time outside. Harry Scott, one of the app’s developers, told the Guardian: ‘I think birdwatching and Pokémon do share a lot of similarities.
‘We’re trying to make sure that the screen time [people are] having is a lot more positive […] and about using technology […] as a tool to learn.’
There’s a potential scientific upside, too. If Birdex’s vast logs are eventually made public, the data could be shared with charities such as the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), which work to secure the future of birds in the UK. Extra data points could give researchers a clearer picture of what’s happening with the UK’s bird populations, thereby helping them target struggling species
According to BTO, nearly one in six UK bird species is currently threatened with extinction, meaning that a little friendly competition on an app like Birdex could translate into much-needed conservation insights.
We gave the app a whirl and, fair warning, it’s sneakily addictive. Daily streaks, fun celebration animations and the promise of climbing the leaderboard will keep you logging back in. Our own haul was fairly urban – mostly pigeons and the occasional blue tit (turns out Covent Garden isn’t exactly a twitcher’s paradise) – but it quickly became clear we could hear far more birds than we could actually see. In other words, make sure you’ve got Merlin downloaded, too.
Not everyone is sold on Birdex just yet. According to the Guardian, the app has faced some criticism over its AI-generated bird illustrations, and other users have pointed out the lack of clear guidance around nesting season and the importance of keeping a safe distance to avoid disturbing wildlife.
Still, Birdex is in its early days. The team behind the app says it plans to continue developing it, including hiring artists to improve the visuals. It’s currently free to download (you can do so on Apple here and Android here).
To boost your points on the app, check out this map that shows the best places to spot London’s birds.
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