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

Citrine Wagtail

Motacilla citreola

A slender, elegant passerine of wet habitats, famous for the breeding male's brilliant lemon-yellow head and constant tail-wagging. It is closely related to the Yellow Wagtail but prefers more marshy or boggy environments.

What it sounds like

A sharp, buzzy, and metallic 'tsreep' or 'zrreep', which is harsher and more explosive than the call of the Yellow Wagtail.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Kasper Wieck · TurkeyCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Breeding males are the only wagtails with a completely bright yellow head and underparts, lacking any dark mask or cap.
The species is currently undergoing a significant westward range expansion from its traditional Siberian and Central Asian strongholds into Europe.
Unlike the similar Yellow Wagtail, it is almost exclusively found in very wet areas like marshes, bogs, and lake margins.
Juveniles lack the yellow coloration and are distinguished by a pale face with a dark 'frame' around the ear coverts.
It typically nests on the ground, hiding its cup-shaped nest deep within thick grass or marsh vegetation to avoid predators.

Habitat

Wet meadows, tundra, willow bogs, and the muddy edges of freshwater lakes and rivers.

Range

Breeds across Eastern Europe, Siberia, and Central Asia; winters in South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia.

Similar & commonly confused birds

African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimp Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis Gray WagtailMotacilla cinerea Japanese WagtailMotacilla grandis Japanese WagtailMotacilla grandis Madagascar WagtailMotacilla flaviventris Mekong WagtailMotacilla samveasnae

Heard a Citrine Wagtail?

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