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

Bluethroat

Luscinia svecica

A small, secretive chat famous for the male's striking iridescent blue throat and exceptional vocal mimicry. It is a highly migratory species often found in dense, damp vegetation.

What it sounds like

A complex, metallic medley of silvery whistles and trills; alarm calls are a sharp 'tacc' or a rising 'hweet'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 1:55

Rec. bert de bruin · NorwayCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

The male's blue throat patch features a central spot that is chestnut-red in northern/tundra subspecies and white in southern/temperate ones.
It belongs to the family Muscicapidae, making it more closely related to Old World flycatchers than to true thrushes.
Renowned for its mimicry, it can perfectly imitate other bird species and even local mechanical sounds like reindeer bells.
Despite the male's bright plumage, the species is notoriously shy, often skulking deep within thickets and moving with mouse-like agility.
Some populations migrate over 5,000 miles, traveling from the high Arctic to wintering grounds in southern Asia and Africa.

Habitat

Damp willow scrub, reedbeds, tundra thickets, and moist bushy edges near water.

Range

Breeds across Eurasia and western Alaska; winters in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia White-bellied RedstartLuscinia phaenicuroides

Heard a Bluethroat?

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