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

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates castro

A medium-sized, dark pelagic seabird characterized by a broad, even-edged white rump patch and steady, shearwater-like flight. It is notable for its complex breeding phenology involving distinct seasonal populations using the same sites.

What it sounds like

A series of rhythmic, guttural chattering and purring notes, sometimes likened to the sound of a finger rubbing against a latex balloon.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Marcel Gil Velasco · SpainCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Features a distinctive rectangular white rump band that wraps around the sides of the vent, unlike the more V-shaped patch of Leach's Storm-Petrel.
Exhibits 'seasonal sympatry' where two genetically distinct populations—hot-season and cool-season breeders—utilize the same nesting burrows at different times of the year.
Unlike the Wilson's Storm-Petrel, its feet do not project beyond the edge of its tail during flight.
Its flight style is uniquely steady and rhythmic, often gliding low over the waves in a manner more reminiscent of a small shearwater than other storm-petrels.
Maintains a strictly nocturnal presence at breeding colonies to avoid predation by gulls and raptors.

Habitat

Highly pelagic, inhabiting deep offshore waters and nesting in volcanic crevices or burrows on remote oceanic islands.

Range

Widespread across the subtropical and tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including the Azores, Madeira, Galapagos, and Hawaii.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Ainley's Storm-PetrelHydrobates cheimomnestes Ashy Storm-PetrelHydrobates homochroa Black Storm-PetrelHydrobates melania Cape Verde Storm-PetrelHydrobates jabejabe European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus Fork-tailed Storm-PetrelHydrobates furcatus Guadalupe Storm-PetrelHydrobates macrodactylus Leach's Storm-PetrelHydrobates leucorhous

Heard a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel?

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