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

Bates's Sunbird

Cinnyris batesi

A small, inconspicuous sunbird of West and Central African forests, notable for its lack of the iridescent plumage common to its family.

What it sounds like

A series of thin, high-pitched 'tsip' notes and a short, squeaky warbling song.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Dries Van de Loock · ZambiaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is one of the smallest sunbird species, measuring only about 9 to 10 centimeters in length.
Unlike most sunbirds, both males and females possess similar, drab olive-green plumage without bright metallic colors.
The species was named in honor of George Latimer Bates, an American naturalist who collected extensively in West Africa.
It frequently forages in the high canopy of primary forests, making it particularly difficult to spot from the ground.
It lacks the pectoral tufts often found in many other members of the Cinnyris genus.

Habitat

Moist lowland tropical forests, forest edges, and occasionally old secondary growth.

Range

Fragmented ranges across West and Central Africa, from Ivory Coast to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Abyssinian SunbirdCinnyris habessinicus Anjouan SunbirdCinnyris comorensis Apricot-breasted SunbirdCinnyris buettikoferi Arabian SunbirdCinnyris hellmayri Beautiful SunbirdCinnyris pulchellus Black-bellied SunbirdCinnyris nectarinioides Congo SunbirdCinnyris congensis Copper SunbirdCinnyris cupreus

Heard a Bates's Sunbird?

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