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 Pratincole

Glareola isabella

A slender, long-legged shorebird known for its graceful, tern-like flight and preference for arid inland environments.

What it sounds like

A sharp, liquid whistling 'wee-weet' or a repetitive, musical 'pilly-pilly'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the only member of its genus, Stiltia, possessing significantly longer legs than any other pratincole species.
Despite being a shorebird, it frequently breeds in extremely dry gibber plains and claypans far from permanent water.
The species is highly migratory, moving from inland Australia to northern Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia during the non-breeding season.
It primarily feeds on insects, which it captures either by hawking them mid-air like a swallow or by chasing them on foot.
Its nest is a simple scrape on the ground, often situated near low vegetation or stones to provide camouflage for the cryptically colored eggs.

Habitat

Open arid plains, grasslands, and dry wetlands, often moving to coastal mudflats during the non-breeding season.

Range

Breeds across the interior of Australia; migrates to northern Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-winged PratincoleGlareola nordmanni Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola Gray PratincoleGlareola cinerea Madagascar PratincoleGlareola ocularis Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum Rock PratincoleGlareola nuchalis Small PratincoleGlareola lactea

Heard a Australian Pratincole?

Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.

Identify a bird by its song