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Are those online birding tips reliable? Check your sources in the AI age

Here’s the ChatGPT infographic the author generated with plant advice. One clue that this is generated by AI is that it has crammed a lot of images in text in a tiny space. (Image by Sharon Stiteler)

I love how mainstream birding is these days. Thanks to the pandemic and the Merlin app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which identifies birds for you, more people than ever have access to birding information.
Merlin has the ability to identify birds by either asking you a series of questions, looking at your bird photo – even a bad one, or hear a sound and attempt an identification. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s close. I tell people that Merlin is a good suggestion, but not a guarantee.

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