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

Boat-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus major

A large, lanky icterid of coastal wetlands, the Boat-tailed Grackle is defined by its massive keeled tail and extreme sexual dimorphism.

What it sounds like

A complex and harsh medley of rhythmic clucking, sharp rising whistles, and structural jeers.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:36

Rec. Sue Riffe · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Males are iridescent black and nearly twice the size of the tawny-brown females, a case of extreme sexual dimorphism.
The species exhibits geographic variation in eye color, with Atlantic coast populations typically having yellow eyes and Gulf coast birds often having brown eyes.
Unlike the closely related Great-tailed Grackle, this species is strictly coastal and rarely found more than a few miles from saltwater.
To attract mates, males perform 'v-tail' displays where they spread their long tail feathers into a distinct keel shape.
They are highly social, colonial nesters that often build their nests in emergent marsh vegetation or trees overhanging water.

Habitat

Coastal salt marshes, brackish estuaries, mangroves, and seaside parks.

Range

Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, from southern New York to eastern Texas.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Carib GrackleQuiscalus lugubris Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus Greater Antillean GrackleQuiscalus niger Nicaraguan GrackleQuiscalus nicaraguensis Slender-billed GrackleQuiscalus palustris

Heard a Boat-tailed Grackle?

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