Birdr — Support
Welcome. This page covers the most common questions; if you don't find yours, email support@birdr.app and we'll get back within 1-2 business days.
Getting started
What does Birdr do?
You point your phone at a bird (or aim at the sound of one) and Birdr identifies the species, saves it to your Life List, and tracks how many you've seen. Each species is rated common through mythic based on how often it actually shows up where you live, so rare catches feel like real wins.
How do I make my first catch?
Tap the round camera button at the bottom-center of the screen. Point at the bird. Tap to capture. Birdr captures both a photo and 12 seconds of audio by default — both signals are cross-checked for the most accurate ID.
What's the difference between Photo, Audio, and Both?
- Photo — fast, best when you can see the bird. Pinch to zoom.
- Audio — 12 seconds of recording. Picks up multiple species at once. Works in the dark for owls and nightjars.
- Both — the default. Photo + audio cross-checked. Most accurate.
What's a "Lifer"?
The first time you ever catch a particular species. It earns a goldfinch-yellow Lifer badge — permanent, on your record forever.
Tiers and rarity
Why is this bird rated differently for me than for my friend?
Tiers are local. A Painted Bunting is rare in Texas but epic in Pennsylvania, because it's barely ever seen there. Your home region (set during onboarding) drives all your tier ratings.
Why is X bird tagged "common" — it doesn't feel common to me?
Tier is computed from real eBird checklist frequency data over the last 30 days in your region. If a species appears in many checklists, it's tagged common. It's a real-world average; your local microclimate might differ. Catch counts still update, the label is just our best guess at "how rewarding should this feel."
What's "Mythic"?
Eight species worldwide that are extinct, near-extinct, or so rare they're a true once-in-a-lifetime catch (California Condor, Whooping Crane, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Spix's Macaw, Hawaiian Crow, Imperial Woodpecker, Stresemann's Bristlefront, Crested Ibis). Mythic is globally consistent — same set for every user.
Can I change my home region?
Yes. Profile → Region. Pick from any of the seven continental regions or revert to auto-detect. Existing catches keep the tier they had at the time you caught them.
Catches and Life List
Why did Birdr say it couldn't identify a bird?
The AI couldn't agree with itself. Try again with: - Better lighting (avoid backlit shots). - A closer or steadier photo. - Audio mode if the bird is calling. - Both mode for the highest cross-check confidence.
Can I rename a catch?
Yes. Tap any catch in your profile. "Edit name" gives it a nickname that displays in quotes alongside the species name.
Can I add notes?
Yes. Same menu — "Add note." Notes appear on the bird detail page and on each sighting row.
Can I group catches into trips?
Yes. Profile → Trips. Create a trip, then tap any catch and "Add to trip." Trip detail shows total catches, species count, and notes.
Where are my catches stored?
On your phone, primarily. If you've signed in, they also sync to Firebase so you can see them on a second device. They are never shared with anyone unless you tap Share on a specific catch card.
Subscription
What's free vs. Pro?
The first 50 catches are free. After that, you'll see a paywall prompting you to upgrade. Existing catches and your Life List are preserved either way.
How do I cancel?
In iOS: Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions → Birdr → Cancel. We never see your subscription status directly — we just know whether your subscription is "active" via RevenueCat.
How do I restore purchases?
Profile → Settings → "Restore purchases."
Privacy & data
Does Birdr track me?
No. Birdr ships with zero analytics SDKs, no advertising IDs, no profiling. We use your location only for what you explicitly ask (showing nearby birds), and we never send your exact GPS coordinates anywhere — only city-level coordinates rounded to ~11 km.
Where can I see your full privacy policy?
How do I delete my data?
- On-device only: Profile → Settings → "Reset demo data" wipes it locally.
- Cloud-synced (signed-in users): email privacy@birdr.app with the request. We'll delete your account and all data within 30 days.
Contact
Bugs, feature requests, or anything else:
- 📧 support@birdr.app — general support
- 📧 privacy@birdr.app — privacy / data deletion
We're a small team and we read every email.
Acknowledgments
Birdr is built on top of work by:
- eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology — observation data and the species taxonomy.
- iNaturalist — stock species photos.
- BirdNET — open-source audio identification.
- Google Cloud Vision — photo recognition.
Thank you to all of them.