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

Boreal Chickadee

Poecile hudsonicus

A hardy, brown-capped inhabitant of northern coniferous forests known for its distinctive cinnamon-colored flanks.

What it sounds like

A slow, nasal, and raspy 'tsick-a-dee-dee' that is noticeably more drawling than that of the Black-capped Chickadee.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 1:05

Rec. Jorge de Leon Cardozo & Susan Hochgraf · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is one of the few chickadee species with a brown rather than black cap.
A permanent resident of the far north, it rarely irrupts south even during exceptionally harsh winters.
They utilize 'scatter-hoarding' to store thousands of food items in bark and lichen for winter survival.
Their plumage is exceptionally thick, providing insulation against temperatures that can drop below -40 degrees Celsius.
Nests are typically excavated in rotten coniferous snags or located in abandoned woodpecker cavities.

Habitat

Dense coniferous forests, specifically primary-growth spruce, balsam fir, and tamarack swamps.

Range

Boreal zone across Alaska, Canada, and the northernmost fringe of the contiguous United States.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-bibbed TitPoecile hypermelaenus Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis Caspian TitPoecile hyrcanus Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens Gray-headed ChickadeePoecile cinctus Marsh TitPoecile palustris Mexican ChickadeePoecile sclateri

Heard a Boreal Chickadee?

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