BirdDex – Pokémon Go, but with real life birds

Name: BirdDex – Pokémon Go, but with real life birds
Availability: InStock
Author: stellay

by stellay·Mar 14, 2026·4 points·2 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidCrowd PleaserSlick

Pokémon-style gamification for birding when Merlin and iNaturalist lack the game loop.

Strengths

•Regional dexes from Wikipedia for 282 regions creates genuine completionist motivation.
•XP system tied to species rarity makes common birds still worth photographing.
•Free tier with 5 daily AI IDs is generous compared to paid birding apps.

Weaknesses

•Bird identification accuracy depends on underlying AI model, no custom training mentioned.
•Community features unclear — iNaturalist's social network is a strong moat.

Post Description

Hey HN!

I've always loved games where you collect various creatures and chase 100% completion (ahem, Pokémon)

I made BirdDex to try to bring the fun of those games to real life.

Here’s how it works: you snap a photo of a bird, identify the species with AI, and add it to your personal BirdDex collection.

Each photo earns XP based on the species' rarity, and your goal is to try and “catch” all the birds in your region (lists pulled for every country from wikipedia)

Would love any feedback or thoughts!