Help Expand Merlin in the Arabian Peninsula
More than 150 recordings of each bird species are needed to train Merlin to identify a species by sound, but only 20% of bird species worldwide have enough recordings in eBird and the Macaulay Library.
You can help Merlin Sound ID learn new species and expand to new areas by making sound recordings, uploading them to eBird checklists, and tagging the background species audible in the recording.
Target Species
Updated: 24 April 2026
The species below do not yet have the required number of recordings to train Merlin Sound ID to learn the species, but we’re close. With your help, we can reach 150+ for each species and add them to Sound ID!
Interested in seeing target species for your specific region? Go to the Sound Recording Dashboard and search your region’s name to see a list of the most likely species you could go record today. And if you’d like a full accounting of audio for all species in the Western Palearctic, you can also download a CSV of recording counts here.
- Garganey (Spatula querquedula)
- Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
- Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
- Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis)
- Bruce’s Green-Pigeon (Treron waalia)
- Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata)
- Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis)
- Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax)
- Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata)
- Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)
- Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
- Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
- Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii)
- Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
- Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)
- Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)
- Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans)
- Mongolian Gull (Larus mongolicus)
- White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
- Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
- European Honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus)
- Short-toed Snake-Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
- Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
- Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
- Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus)
- Arabian Green Bee-eater (Merops cyanophrys)
- European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
- Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
- Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor)
- Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus)
- Sombre Tit (Poecile lugubris)
- Caspian Tit (Poecile hyrcanus)
- Desert Lark (Ammomanes deserti)
- White-winged Lark (Alauda leucoptera)
- Turkestan Short-toed Lark (Alaudala heinei)
- Pale Crag-Martin (Ptyonoprogne obsoleta)
- Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis)
- Plain Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus neglectus)
- Scrub Warbler (Scotocerca inquieta)
- Eastern Subalpine Warbler (Curruca cantillans)
- Arabian Babbler (Argya squamiceps)
- Tristram’s Starling (Onychognathus tristramii)
- Rufous-backed Redstart (Phoenicurus erythronotus)
- Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
- Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus)
- Amur Stonechat (Saxicola stejnegeri)
- Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
- Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca)
- Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura)
- Variable Wheatear (Oenanthe picata)
- Hume’s Wheatear (Oenanthe albonigra)
- White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga)
- Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus)
- Rüppell’s Weaver (Ploceus galbula)
- African Silverbill (Euodice cantans)
- Trumpeter Finch (Bucanetes githagineus)
- Cretzschmar’s Bunting (Emberiza caesia)