Welcome to the exciting world of birdwatching with Sparkbird! Whether you're an experienced birder or just getting started, Sparkbird is designed to enhance your experience and connect you with a vibrant community of fellow bird enthusiasts. Discover the joy of observing, identifying, and sharing your bird sightings, channeling curiosity into a rich and rewarding outdoor (or indoor!) adventure.

Getting Started

Sparkbird is great for all forms of birdwatching, no matter if you're out exploring nature or participating from home. It's easy to record the birds you spot in your back yard, on your walks, or in your travels, helping you build up and show off your Life List.

• Download Sparkbird from the App Store.

• Create your free account to begin journaling your sightings and building your Life List.

• For our Android users, we are working to deliver an app to the Play Store as soon as possible.

• Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.

Using the App

Sparkbird is a birdwatching community. Only content relating to birding, naturalism, and conservation is allowed, creating the perfect environment for learning and engaging in our shared passion.

• Use the ‘+’ tab from the bottom navigation bar to create a new post. Upload your photos and videos, or capture the moment live from the app using the camera.

• Sparkbird uses AI to help you identify your birds and, if you want a second opinion, you can enlist our knowledgeable community by using the ‘ID Request’ flair on your post.

• Advanced users subscribed to Sparkbird Plus™ can enable automatic capture, which will continuously detect, record, identify, and post the birds that travel through the view finder.

• View your posts on your profile, where they appear in chronological order. Sparkbird also organizes your observed species into your Life List, showcasing your birding career.

• Opt-in to nearby sighting notifications to receive instant alerts for sightings of your favorite species in your neighborhood.

Taking Great Pictures

Use the Sparkbird App to monitor birds at home or wherever your curiosity brings you. For best results taking photos and video with smartphones, we recommend devices with high quality cameras that are still receiving security and software updates such as the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16. Even better, some phones have a built-in telephoto lens perfect for shooting birds. With a little practice you’ll be a pro in no time!

• Zoom in or get close enough to focus your camera. An attachable telephoto lens can help you capture a distant subject.

• Try peak natural light hours and feeding times. Birds have their own schedules just like we do!

• Sunny weather will produce significantly better photos than those taken in cloudy, rainy, or foggy conditions.

Set Up at Home

Whether you have a bustling backyard or a quiet window, you can create an ideal environment for birdwatching and capturing stunning photos and videos of your feathered visitors.

• Tripod Setup. For stability, mount your phone on a tripod or a window mount. You might also consider a monocular/tripod combo for long-range shooting with your smartphone.

• Framing. Use a vertical orientation (portrait) to capture both perching and ground-feeding birds (and other critters), or a horizontal orientation (landscape) for multiple feeders side-by-side.

• Remove Window Screens. Screens can obstruct your camera—remove them if able for clearer shots. Additionally, make sure the window is clean for best results.

• Feeder Placement & Zoom. Position feeders so perches are side-profile and visible. Zoom in to fill the frame with the main perching area, and attach a telephoto lens if necessary.

• Bird Safety. Small birds are very fragile. Consider adding bird safety decals (anti-collision stickers) to screenless windows in high-traffic areas to help protect our winged adventurers from deadly impacts.

Sparkbird has been years in the making and The Sparkbird Team is so excited to welcome you to our community. We’re dedicated to improving the app and adding new features, and we’d love to hear your feedback.