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

Dark Pewee

Contopus lugubris

A large, sooty-gray tyrant flycatcher endemic to the high-altitude cloud forests of the Talamanca mountains.

What it sounds like

A plaintive, descending, whistled 'pee-ee' or 'flee-it', often repeated slowly from a high perch.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Frank Lambert · Costa RicaCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the largest member of the genus Contopus found within its restricted Central American range.
Its plumage is characterized by a uniform dark charcoal-gray color with little to no visible wing bars.
The species is a typical 'sit-and-wait' predator, sallying from high, exposed perches to capture flying insects.
It is most frequently observed in the canopy or at the edges of oak-dominated montane forests.
The Dark Pewee is considered a highland specialist, rarely occurring below elevations of 1,200 meters.

Habitat

High-elevation montane evergreen forests, cloud forests, and adjacent clearings with scattered trees.

Range

Highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama (Chiriquí and Veraguas).

Similar & commonly confused birds

Blackish PeweeContopus nigrescens Cuban PeweeContopus caribaeus Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens Greater PeweeContopus pertinax Hispaniolan PeweeContopus hispaniolensis Jamaican PeweeContopus pallidus Jamaican PeweeContopus pallidus Lesser Antillean PeweeContopus latirostris

Heard a Dark Pewee?

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