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Over the winter, we've been making a series of improvements to the Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Bird Guide, and we're excited to share them with you for spring. The focus was on making existing functionality easier to use, and applying consistency in our design across every screen. Think of these changes on the level of spring cleaning—nothing fundamental about the way you use the app has changed (it's still the same house), but we've made it cleaner, tidier, and easier to use across the board. 

Here's an overview of what's new in version 5.4.0 of the Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Bird Guide, and instructions on how to get an early sneak peek and contribute feedback. 

Improved Home Screen

We've re-arranged the furniture a bit on the home screen to make our app's most important features easier to access with a single tap.

If you've seen a bird you don't recognize and need help identifying it, you can now go right into Bird ID by tapping the new, larger button in the bottom left corner of the home screen. Previously, Bird ID was accessed by tapping the first item in the carousel at the top of the home screen. 

If you know what bird you're looking for and want to do a quick search, you can search the Field Guide directly by tapping the new, larger search button in the bottom right. This will be much easier to access than the smaller magnifying glass in the upper right corner. 

Your birding stats are now even more accessible at the very top of the screen. 

And finally, every time you load the app, we'll feature one of several focal North American species at the top of the home screen. Tap to learn more about these incredible birds, and watch this space for focal species customized to your specific location in the future. 

Improved Explore Section

Browsing eBird sightings and hotspots is now easier than ever with our new list drawer. When viewing hotspots in the Explore section, or an individual species's recent eBird sightings in the Field Guide, you can now slide the list down to focus on the map, or up to browse the complete list of sightings and hotspots.  

Improved Log In / Sign Up screens

We've streamlined the Log In and Account Creation screens to make it easier to access an existing account or create a new one. 

Updated Look and Feel Throughout

We took a close look at every screen in the app and made a series of small adjustments and improvements to improve our look, with consistency and ease of use top of mind. 

Want a Sneak Peak?

If you'd like to take the new version for a spin and provide our app team with feedback, you can become an Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Bird Guide beta tester to receive early access to our latest version. Find out more about how to become a beta tester and access the latest version here. 

We will also be hosting a live demo of the new features on Wednesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern. Join us for a tour of the new version, and have any questions you may have answered by the Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ app team. 

Update: Thank you to all who joined us for the webinar. You can view a .