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

Bar-tailed Treecreeper

Certhia himalayana

A small, cryptically colored passerine specializing in foraging on tree bark across the high-altitude montane forests of the Himalayas.

What it sounds like

A series of high-pitched, thin 'tsip' notes and a rapid, descending trill-like song.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. JJSUN · ChinaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Distinguished from other treecreepers by the prominent dark transverse bars on its tail feathers.
Uses a long, slender, decurved bill to extract insects and spiders from deep within bark crevices.
Forages in a characteristic spiral pattern, starting at the tree base and climbing upward before flying down to the next tree.
Utilizes stiffened rectrices (tail feathers) as a structural prop against tree trunks while climbing.
Exhibits altitudinal migration, breeding at elevations up to 4,000 meters and descending to lower valleys in winter.

Habitat

Temperate and subtropical montane forests, favoring pine, deodar, fir, and oak trees.

Range

The Himalayan range across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Myanmar.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Brown CreeperCerthia americana Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris Hodgson's TreecreeperCerthia hodgsoni Hume's TreecreeperCerthia manipurensis Rusty-flanked TreecreeperCerthia nipalensis Short-toed TreecreeperCerthia brachydactyla Sichuan TreecreeperCerthia tianquanensis Sikkim TreecreeperCerthia discolor

Heard a Bar-tailed Treecreeper?

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