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

Crossley's Ground-Thrush

Geokichla crossleyi

Crossley's Ground-Thrush is a shy, terrestrial songbird of African montane forests, distinguished by its heavily spotted underparts and bold facial markings.

What it sounds like

A varied sequence of clear, thin whistles and fluty, melodic phrases, occasionally interspersed with harsher 'tsek' notes.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Brian Cox · NigeriaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It features a diagnostic facial pattern with two vertical black bars on a white background below the eye.
The species was formerly classified in the genus Zoothera before being moved to Geokichla based on molecular data.
It is highly secretive, often detected only by its song as it forages silently in deep leaf litter.
Populations are geographically disjunct, inhabiting the Cameroon Mountains as well as the Albertine Rift.
When flushed, it displays a broad white stripe on the underside of its dark wings, a trait common to ground-thrushes.

Habitat

Moist montane and submontane evergreen forests with dense undergrowth and thick leaf litter.

Range

Fragmented ranges in West-Central and East-Central Africa, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and the DR Congo.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Abyssinian Ground-ThrushGeokichla piaggiae Ashy ThrushGeokichla cinerea Black-eared Ground-ThrushGeokichla camaronensis Buru ThrushGeokichla dumasi Chestnut-backed ThrushGeokichla dohertyi Chestnut-capped ThrushGeokichla interpres Enggano ThrushGeokichla leucolaema Gray Ground-ThrushGeokichla princei

Heard a Crossley's Ground-Thrush?

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