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

Black-browed Babbler

Malacocincla perspicillata

A medium-sized, elusive songbird from Borneo, recently rediscovered after being considered lost to science for over 170 years.

What it sounds like

Consists of a series of clear, rhythmic, and liquid whistling notes often delivered in short bursts.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

The species was rediscovered in 2020 by two locals in South Kalimantan after having no confirmed sightings since approximately 1848.
For over a century and a half, the bird was known only from a single, faded type specimen held in a museum in the Netherlands.
It features a distinctive, broad black horizontal stripe through the eye, which contrasts sharply with its greyish-brown plumage.
Live observations revealed that the species possesses striking reddish-brown irises, a detail that was impossible to determine from the original specimen.
It belongs to the family Pellorneidae and is currently classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN due to the extreme rarity of sightings.

Habitat

Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and dense undergrowth.

Range

Endemic to South Kalimantan, Indonesia (Borneo).

Similar & commonly confused birds

Abbott's BabblerMalacocincla abbotti Horsfield's BabblerMalacocincla sepiaria

Heard a Black-browed Babbler?

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