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

Clapper Rail

Rallus crepitans

A large, secretive marsh bird of coastal saltwater environments, characterized by its laterally compressed body and loud, rhythmic vocalizations.

What it sounds like

A loud, rhythmic, mechanical series of 'kek-kek-kek' or 'cluck' notes that typically accelerates and then slows down.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:23

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

Field notes

Equipped with specialized supraorbital salt glands that allow it to drink seawater and excrete the excess salt through its nostrils.
Its 'thin as a rail' body shape is an evolutionary adaptation for maneuvering quickly through dense, upright marsh grasses.
Primarily consumes crustaceans, particularly fiddler crabs, which it extracts from the mud using its long, slightly decurved bill.
While capable of flight, they are highly terrestrial and prefer to escape predators by running or swimming through thick vegetation.
Nests are constructed as elevated platforms of vegetation to protect eggs from daily tidal fluctuations, though they remain vulnerable to storm surges.

Habitat

Coastal salt marshes, brackish marshes, and mangrove swamps.

Range

Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America, from southern New England to the Caribbean and eastern Mexico.

Similar & commonly confused birds

African RailRallus caerulescens Austral RailRallus antarcticus Aztec RailRallus tenuirostris Bogota RailRallus semiplumbeus Brown-cheeked RailRallus indicus Ecuadorian RailRallus aequatorialis King RailRallus elegans Madagascar RailRallus madagascariensis

Heard a Clapper Rail?

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Identify a bird by its song