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

Colombian Grebe

Podiceps andinus

A medium-sized waterbird once endemic to the high-altitude wetlands of the Colombian Andes, now tragically extinct.

What it sounds like

Poorly recorded, but likely similar to the Eared Grebe’s soft, whistling 'poo-ee-chk' calls.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

Formally declared extinct in 1994, with the last confirmed sighting occurring in 1977 at Lake Tota.
Its decline is attributed to wetland drainage, pollution, and predation of chicks by introduced Rainbow Trout.
Characterized by a distinctive chestnut-red foreneck and breast, differentiating it from the related Black-necked Grebe.
The species occupied a very restricted range, limited entirely to the Bogotá Savanna and the Boyacá department.
It was a specialist of reed-bordered lakes, where it fed primarily on arthropods and small fish.

Habitat

High-altitude freshwater lakes and marshes with dense reed beds (Schoenoplectus).

Range

Eastern Andes of Colombia (Cundinamarca and Boyacá departments).

Similar & commonly confused birds

Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus Great GrebePodiceps major Hooded GrebePodiceps gallardoi Horned GrebePodiceps auritus Junin GrebePodiceps taczanowskii Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena Silvery GrebePodiceps occipitalis

Heard a Colombian Grebe?

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