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 Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

A slender, long-winged crepuscular bird of the nightjar family, easily identified by its erratic flight and bold white wing patches.

What it sounds like

A sharp, nasal, and buzzy 'peent' usually given while in flight.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:27

Rec. Greg Irving · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Despite its common name, it is not a raptor but an aerial insectivore related to whip-poor-wills.
Males perform high-speed courtship dives where air rushing through primary feathers creates a resonant 'booming' sound.
They are long-distance neotropical migrants, with some individuals traveling over 6,000 miles to South American wintering grounds.
They do not build nests, instead laying camouflaged eggs directly on bare ground, gravel, or flat urban rooftops.
Their mouths are exceptionally wide and fringed with rictal bristles to facilitate the capture of flying insects mid-air.

Habitat

Open landscapes including grasslands, pine barrens, forest clearings, and urban environments.

Range

Breeds across North America from the Yukon to Florida; winters in South America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Antillean NighthawkChordeiles gundlachii Least NighthawkChordeiles pusillus Lesser NighthawkChordeiles acutipennis Nacunda NighthawkChordeiles nacunda Sand-colored NighthawkChordeiles rupestris

Heard a Common Nighthawk?

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

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