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

Carolina Chickadee

Poecile carolinensis

A small, acrobatic songbird with a distinctive black cap and bib, nearly identical in appearance to the Black-capped Chickadee but smaller with a different song.

What it sounds like

A fast, four-note whistled song 'fee-bee-fee-bay' and a rapid, high-pitched 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:27

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

Field notes

They are prolific scatter-hoarders, caching thousands of individual seeds and insects in different locations to survive winter.
During extremely cold nights, they can enter a state of regulated hypothermia, lowering their body temperature by up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit to conserve energy.
The number of 'dee' notes at the end of their alarm call communicates the specific threat level of a detected predator.
Where their range overlaps with Black-capped Chickadees, the two species frequently hybridize and can even learn each other's songs.
They are primary cavity nesters that can excavate their own nesting holes in soft, decaying wood or occupy existing woodpecker cavities.

Habitat

Deciduous and mixed forests, woodlots, swamps, and suburban gardens.

Range

Southeastern United States, from New Jersey and central Ohio south to Florida and west to Texas.

Similar & commonly confused birds

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

Heard a Carolina Chickadee?

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