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

Cinereous Harrier

Circus cinereus

The Cinereous Harrier is a slender, elegant raptor of South American open country, characterized by its low-altitude quartering flight and striking sexual dimorphism. It is the only member of the genus Circus endemic to the Southern Cone and the Andean highlands.

What it sounds like

A rapid, piercing series of high-pitched 'kek-kek-kek' notes, primarily used during courtship or territorial displays.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Bernabe Lopez-Lanus · ArgentinaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Displays extreme sexual dichromatism; males are pale ash-grey with black wingtips, while females are larger and brown with heavy barring.
Possesses a specialized facial disc of stiff feathers, similar to an owl, which helps funnel sound to the ears for acoustic hunting.
Unlike most raptors, this species nests exclusively on the ground, typically concealing its eggs in tall grass or marsh vegetation.
Employs a 'low-quartering' hunting strategy, gliding just a few meters above the ground to surprise small rodents and passerines.
While primarily a lowland species in the south, it can be found at elevations up to 4,500 meters in the Andean paramo.

Habitat

Open grasslands, pampas, marshes, steppes, and high-altitude Andean meadows.

Range

South America, ranging from Colombia and Ecuador through Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands.

Similar & commonly confused birds

African Marsh HarrierCircus ranivorus Black HarrierCircus maurus Eastern Marsh HarrierCircus spilonotus Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus Long-winged HarrierCircus buffoni Malagasy HarrierCircus macrosceles Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus Northern HarrierCircus hudsonius

Heard a Cinereous Harrier?

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Identify a bird by its song