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 Ostrich

Struthio camelus

The Common Ostrich is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless ratite specialized for high-speed locomotion across the African savanna. It is the only extant bird that belongs to the genus Struthio and is characterized by its massive size and powerful, two-toed feet.

What it sounds like

Males produce a deep, resonant, three-syllable booming roar often mistaken for a lion's call, alongside various hisses, snorts, and guttural alarm sounds.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Marc Anderson · BotswanaCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the only bird species with just two toes on each foot, an adaptation that enhances running efficiency and defensive kicking power.
Ostriches possess the largest eyes of any land vertebrate, measuring roughly 5 cm in diameter, which are larger than their own brains.
They are the fastest bipeds on Earth, capable of reaching sustained speeds of 50 km/h and sprinting bursts of up to 70 km/h.
Unlike most birds, ostriches lack a uropygial (preen) gland and a keeled sternum, and they excrete urine separately from feces.
They utilize a communal nesting system where a 'major' female and several 'minor' females lay up to 60 eggs in a single scrape, primarily incubated by the major female and the male.

Habitat

Open semi-arid plains, savannas, and short-grass prairies.

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa, with distinct populations in East, Southern, and West Africa.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Somali OstrichStruthio molybdophanes

Heard a Common Ostrich?

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