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-vented Shearwater

Puffinus opisthomelas

A small, brownish-black seabird of the California Current, distinguished from similar species by its dark undertail coverts and rapid, fluttering flight.

What it sounds like

A series of wheezy, rhythmic, and raspy croaking notes, often described as a repeated 'kuk-koo-err' during colony visits.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:30

Rec. Justyn Stahl · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Approximately 95% of the global population breeds on a single location: Isla Natividad off the coast of Baja California.
Unlike many other shearwaters, this species frequently forages in shallow, productive waters very close to the shoreline.
Its flight pattern is characterized by exceptionally rapid wingbeats followed by short, low glides, often hugging the ocean swells.
They are strictly nocturnal at their breeding colonies to minimize predation from gulls and other opportunistic birds.
The species is currently listed as Near Threatened due to its highly concentrated breeding range and vulnerability to invasive predators on islands.

Habitat

Pelagic and coastal marine waters; nests in burrows or rock crevices on arid offshore islands.

Range

Eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from central California south to the Gulf of California and southern Mexico.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Balearic ShearwaterPuffinus mauretanicus Bannerman's ShearwaterPuffinus bannermani Barolo ShearwaterPuffinus baroli Boyd's ShearwaterPuffinus boydi Bryan's ShearwaterPuffinus bryani Christmas ShearwaterPuffinus nativitatis Fluttering ShearwaterPuffinus gavia Galapagos ShearwaterPuffinus subalaris

Heard a Black-vented Shearwater?

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