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

Australian Fairy Tern

Sternula nereis

A small, delicate seabird known for its pale plumage and bright yellow bill, primarily nesting in small colonies on sandy coastal shorelines.

What it sounds like

A sharp, high-pitched, metallic 'rit-rit' or a rasping 'tche-wick'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:16

Rec. Drew Davison · AustraliaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is globally listed as Vulnerable, with major threats including habitat loss, introduced predators, and human disturbance on nesting beaches.
During courtship, males perform 'fish-offering' rituals where they present small prey to females to establish pair bonds.
Unlike the similar Little Tern, the Fairy Tern in breeding plumage lacks a dark loral stripe (the line between the bill and the eye).
Nests are minimalist 'scrapes' in the sand or shell grit, often decorated with small pebbles or coral fragments for camouflage.
They are specialized plunge-divers that hover briefly over shallow water before diving to catch small schooling fish like hardyheads and anchovies.

Habitat

Sandy beaches, coastal dunes, estuaries, and offshore islands or coral cays.

Range

Coastal regions of southern and western Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Damara TernSternula balaenarum Least TernSternula antillarum Little TernSternula albifrons Peruvian TernSternula lorata Saunders's TernSternula saundersi Yellow-billed TernSternula superciliaris

Heard a Australian Fairy Tern?

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Identify a bird by its song