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-faced Spoonbill

Platalea minor

The Black-faced Spoonbill is a rare, elegant wading bird characterized by its distinctive spatula-shaped bill and stark black facial skin. It is the most endangered of the world's six spoonbill species and serves as a flagship for East Asian wetland conservation.

What it sounds like

Generally silent, but occasionally emits low, guttural grunts or soft croaks during the breeding season or when threatened.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. John Wright · JapanCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the only spoonbill species currently listed as Endangered, with a global population that once plummeted to fewer than 300 individuals in the late 1980s.
During the breeding season, adults develop striking golden-yellow plumage on their breast and a shaggy decorative crest.
The species utilizes 'tactoreception' to feed, sweeping its partially open bill through shallow water to snap shut on prey by touch rather than sight.
Unlike most other spoonbills, this species is almost exclusively coastal, rarely venturing into inland freshwater systems.
Juveniles are identifiable by their pinkish-grey bills and black tips on their primary wing feathers, which disappear as they reach maturity.

Habitat

Intertidal mudflats, estuaries, mangroves, and coastal salt pans.

Range

East Asia; breeds on rocky islands off the Korean Peninsula and Liaoning, China, wintering primarily in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Japan.

Similar & commonly confused birds

African SpoonbillPlatalea alba Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes

Heard a Black-faced Spoonbill?

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