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

Brewer's Sparrow

Spizella breweri

A small, finely-streaked specialist of the sagebrush sea, the Brewer's Sparrow is best known for its remarkably long and complex buzzing song.

What it sounds like

A long, varied series of dry, mechanical trills and buzzy notes delivered at different pitches, reminiscent of a canary.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 2:13

Rec. Ed Pandolfino · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is widely considered the smallest sparrow species found in North America.
The 'Timberline Sparrow' is a distinct subspecies that breeds in high-altitude alpine scrub rather than lowland sagebrush.
They are exceptionally well-adapted to arid environments and can survive long periods without supplemental water by metabolizing moisture from seeds.
A single song can last for over 10 seconds and incorporate more than a dozen distinct types of trills and buzzes.
During migration and winter, they transition from territorial insectivores to highly social granivores, often forming massive flocks.

Habitat

Primary habitat is big sagebrush shrubsteppe, though it also utilizes mountain mahogany and alpine krummholz.

Range

Breeds across the interior Western United States and Southern Canada; winters in the Southwestern US and central Mexico.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-chinned SparrowSpizella atrogularis Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida Field SparrowSpizella pusilla Worthen's SparrowSpizella wortheni

Heard a Brewer's Sparrow?

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