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

California Towhee

Melozone crissalis

A large, unassuming brown sparrow of the American West, the California Towhee is a terrestrial specialist often found hopping through leaf litter in suburban gardens and chaparral.

What it sounds like

A sharp, metallic 'chink' or 'pink' note; the song consists of a series of these notes that accelerate into a rapid, staccato trill.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:41

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

Field notes

Distinguished from other sparrows by its warm, cinnamon-colored undertail coverts known as the 'crissum'.
Known for its territorial aggression, it frequently attacks its own reflection in windows and car mirrors.
Uses a specialized 'double-scratch' foraging move, hopping forward and then kicking backward with both feet to reveal seeds and insects.
The species is highly sedentary and monogamous, with pairs often remaining together on the same territory year-round for life.
Until 1989, it was considered the same species as the Canyon Towhee, under the collective name 'Brown Towhee'.

Habitat

Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and oak woodlands, as well as well-planted suburban backyards.

Range

Pacific slope from southern Oregon through California to the tip of Baja California.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Abert's TowheeMelozone aberti Cabanis's Ground-SparrowMelozone cabanisi Canyon TowheeMelozone fusca Gray-crowned Ground-SparrowMelozone occipitalis Rusty-crowned Ground-SparrowMelozone kieneri Rusty-crowned Ground-SparrowMelozone kieneri White-eared Ground-SparrowMelozone leucotis White-faced Ground-SparrowMelozone biarcuata

Heard a California Towhee?

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Identify a bird by its song