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

Central American Pygmy-Owl

Glaucidium griseiceps

A tiny, compact owl of humid tropical lowlands, distinguished by its greyish crown and prominent false eye spots on the nape.

What it sounds like

A rapid series of 5 to 20 hollow, rhythmic piping whistles, often accelerating slightly towards the end.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 1:46

Rec. Scott Olmstead · Costa RicaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Possesses pair of dark 'ocelli' or false eyes on the back of the neck to discourage predators and confuse songbirds.
Highly diurnal and crepuscular, often hunting and calling during broad daylight rather than at night.
Frequently discovered by birdwatchers through the frantic mobbing behavior of small passerines like tanagers and hummingbirds.
Nests primarily in abandoned woodpecker cavities located high in the forest canopy or subcanopy.
Feeds on a diverse diet of large insects, lizards, and small birds, sometimes taking prey nearly its own size.

Habitat

Humid lowland evergreen forests, mature secondary growth, and forest edges.

Range

Southeastern Mexico through Central America to far northwestern Colombia.

Similar & commonly confused birds

African Barred OwletGlaucidium capense Albertine OwletGlaucidium albertinum Amazonian Pygmy-OwlGlaucidium hardyi Andean Pygmy-OwlGlaucidium jardinii Asian Barred OwletGlaucidium cuculoides Austral Pygmy-OwlGlaucidium nana Chestnut-backed OwletGlaucidium castanotum Cloud-forest Pygmy-OwlGlaucidium nubicola

Heard a Central American Pygmy-Owl?

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