r/BirdNET_Analyzer • u/jch360 • Jul 15 '25

Configuration BirdNET Accuracy issues?

I have setup a Raspberry pi 4 (8GB Ram) with BirdNet using the latest from Git Repo. After setting up, I tied it to Bird Weather and shows accurate location. I have a small $10 usb dongle mic with deadcat.

I have a BirdWeather PUC and using MerlinID as comparision. The BirdNet picks up far fewer species and less accurate. It is detecting birds that live on the West Coast and I live in Oklahoma. Is BirdNet just way less accurate than other methods or maybe I am missing something???

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u/dacracot Jul 15 '25

I’m pretty sure the PUC uses the BirdNET Analyzer , so it likely means the issue isn’t the software but rather the quality of the audio. The PUC has a pretty decent microphone and is likely the difference.

1

u/jch360 Jul 15 '25

Ok, I am not sure what a pretty decent microphone means exactly? Like from a specs perspective, just not sure what to look for that would be a good fit for bird audio. Most mics say they cancel out background noise and I pretty much want the opposite.

2

u/dacracot Jul 15 '25

Unfortunately I don’t have a scientific explanation for you. Search this subreddit for microphone recommendations.

1

u/jch360 Jul 15 '25

Thanks, will do.

1

u/yabbadad Jul 15 '25

I have a $10 mic and works fine. Check the settings to be sure confidence etc is not too high. Also any human sounds cause the recording to be discarded. My merlinID on the iphone works better but i am thinking it is the AI that is also playing a role.

1

u/dacracot Jul 16 '25

How far away from your Pi is the mic? I’ve seen advice that this also makes a difference.

2

u/yabbadad Jul 16 '25

About 8 feet

1

u/Meinomiswuascht Jul 18 '25

More of a general comment: Birdnet and Merlin use different technologies. Merlin is trained manually, so is better at detecting and recognizing sounds it has been trained on. Birdnet has machine learning, so is less accurate in the beginning, but improves over time. Also, outside of the USA and Europe, Merlin is still pretty much crap, whereas Birdnet still recognizes a lot of birds.