Nowadays, citizens often stick to the flat screens of mobile phones. To reconnect people in the city with nature through their mobile devices, the School of Biological Sciences of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society jointly developed the iOS app "HKBirds: Birds of Hong Kong".

The app facilitates observation, identification, recording and sharing of bird records at anytime and anywhere. It encourages users to observe and reconnect with nature, raises public awareness on biodiversity and enhances appreciation of nature. The app is available for free download worldwide and acts as a field guide for the birds of Hong Kong.

Mr LAU Wai Man, Chairman of Hong Kong Bird Watching Society said, "This mobile application records over 40% (240 species) of the birds in Hong Kong. It provides detailed information, including characteristics, habitats, conservation status, bird calls, etc. The public can also systematically record their observations in the app, which makes this app a comprehensive learning platform."

The project coordinator, Dr Billy HAU from the HKU School of Biological Sciences added, "Urban populations have been growing fast worldwide. Apart from protecting biodiversity in the natural environments, promoting biodiversity conservation in urban environments has become a global trend in recent years. This app facilitates Hong Kong people to learn more about the diverse bird fauna of Hong Kong and enables knowledge exchange."

“HKBirds: Birds of Hong Kong” is under the project titled "From Flat Screen to Nature via Birding", which is supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund. Technical support of the Mobile App is provided by HKU Department of Computer Science.

The Mobile App can be downloaded from here: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1573110755

Home page of "HKBirds: Birds of Hong Kong" can be access from here: https://i.cs.hku.hk/~hkbirds/hkbirds/Home.html

Information of over 240 bird species are available in the app, covering most of the common species found in Hong Kong.

The App provides detailed information about each bird species, including size, characteristics, habitats, conservation status and bird calls to assist learning.

The public can systematically record their observations and birding experience in the app.

The project is coordinated by Dr Billy HAU from HKU School of Biological Sciences, and developed together with the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society.