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

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus

A medium-sized montane hummingbird recognized by the male's iridescent rose-red gorget and its distinctive, high-pitched metallic wing trill. It is a high-altitude specialist known for its remarkable physiological adaptations to freezing mountain nights.

What it sounds like

Sharp, piercing 'chip' notes; the most diagnostic sound is the male's constant, buzzy metallic wing trill heard during flight.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Scott Olmstead · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Males possess specialized, tapered primary feathers that create a loud, cricket-like metallic whistle during flight.
To conserve energy in cold climates, they can enter a state of deep torpor, lowering their body temperature to as low as 54°F.
They are exceptionally long-lived for their size, with records of individuals living over 12 years in the wild.
Females often exhibit high site fidelity, returning to the same branch or even rebuilding on top of old nests for multiple years.
During courtship, males perform spectacular 100-foot aerial dives to showcase their iridescent plumage and wing sounds to females.

Habitat

Open montane forests, subalpine meadows, and pinyon-juniper woodlands at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet.

Range

Breeds in the Western United States and Mexico; winters in the highlands of Southern Mexico and Guatemala.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Allen's HummingbirdSelasphorus sasin Bumblebee HummingbirdSelasphorus heloisa Calliope HummingbirdSelasphorus calliope Glow-throated HummingbirdSelasphorus ardens Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufus Scintillant HummingbirdSelasphorus scintilla Volcano HummingbirdSelasphorus flammula Wine-throated HummingbirdSelasphorus ellioti

Heard a Broad-tailed Hummingbird?

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Identify a bird by its song