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

Common Hoopoe

Upupa epops

A distinctive Afro-Eurasian bird easily recognized by its flamboyant fan-like crest and bold black-and-white striped wings. It is the sole extant member of its family, Upupidae, and is known for its specialized ground-probing foraging behavior.

What it sounds like

A soft, resonant, and trisyllabic 'hoo-poo-poo' or 'up-up-up' that carries across long distances.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Lionel FREDERIC · PortugalCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Possesses a retractable orange-buff crest tipped with black that it flares when alarmed or upon landing.
Females and nestlings produce a foul-smelling, antimicrobial secretion from their uropygial gland to deter predators.
Its long, thin, decurved bill is perfectly adapted for extracting mole crickets and beetle larvae from the soil.
The hoopoe is the national bird of Israel and frequently appears in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Persian literature.
They are cavity nesters that do not clean out their nests, leading to a pungent odor that provides additional defense against intruders.

Habitat

Open or semi-open landscapes including parklands, orchards, savannas, and cultivated fields with patches of bare ground.

Range

Widespread across Europe, Asia, and North Africa; northern populations migrate to the tropics for winter.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Madagascar HoopoeUpupa marginata St. Helena HoopoeUpupa antaios

Heard a Common Hoopoe?

Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.

Identify a bird by its song