How accurate is Birdsong's bird identifier?

It runs Google's Perch, a research-grade acoustic model covering nearly 15,000 species. When a call is ambiguous, we say so honestly and let you record a second clip to confirm, rather than guessing.

Is my recording stored?

No. Your audio is used to identify the bird in the moment and isn't saved to our servers. The birds you confirm are kept as cards in your own field journal; the recordings themselves are not.

Is the bird identifier free?

Yes — identify birds every day for free, no account required. Birdsong Pro ($3.99/mo or $39.99/yr) unlocks unlimited IDs, full field guides, your growing collection, and shareable Field Report cards.

Do I need an account or internet to identify a bird?

You'll need a connection to identify, since the AI runs in the cloud. No account is needed to try it — sign in with Google or email to save your field journal and sync it across devices.

Birdsong field guide

African Forest-Flycatcher

Fraseria ocreata

A large and robust Old World flycatcher of West and Central Africa, distinguished by its heavily mottled, scaly plumage on its underparts.

What it sounds like

A varied series of high-pitched, thin whistles followed by rapid, rattling 'tsit-tsit' notes and buzzy trills.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 1:56

Rec. Peter Boesman · GhanaCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is known to follow columns of driver ants (Dorylus spp.) to capture insects flushed by the swarm.
Individuals often shadow troops of monkeys through the canopy to snatch flying insects disturbed by the primates' movement.
Unlike many smaller flycatchers, it possesses a heavy, broad bill suited for tackling larger forest arthropods.
The species is highly territorial and typically found in pairs that occupy the same patch of primary forest year-round.
Its plumage features a distinctive 'spectacled' appearance due to a pale ring of feathers around the eye.

Habitat

Mid-stratum and sub-canopy of primary lowland rainforest, gallery forests, and mature secondary growth.

Range

West and Central Africa, ranging from Sierra Leone and Guinea eastward to Uganda and south to northern Angola.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Ashy FlycatcherFraseria caerulescens Chapin's FlycatcherFraseria lendu Gray Tit-FlycatcherFraseria plumbea Gray-throated Tit-FlycatcherFraseria griseigularis Olivaceous FlycatcherFraseria olivascens Tessmann's FlycatcherFraseria tessmanni White-browed Forest-FlycatcherFraseria cinerascens

Heard a African Forest-Flycatcher?

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