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

Forbes's Plover

Thinornis forbesi

Forbes's Plover is a medium-sized inland wader of West and Central Africa, distinguished by its double black breast bands and striking red eye-rings.

What it sounds like

A thin, high-pitched, and plaintive whistled 'peee-oo'

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

Unlike many plovers, it prefers inland rocky outcrops, moist grasslands, and recently burnt ground over coastal habitats.
It employs a 'foot-trembling' foraging technique, vibrating its feet against the soil to disturb and flush out insect prey.
The species is largely crepuscular, often becoming more active and vocal during the dawn and dusk hours.
During the breeding season, it moves to higher elevations and moist moorlands, nesting in simple scrapes on rocky substrate.
It is closely related to the Three-banded Plover but is larger, darker, and lacks the white forehead bar seen in its relative.

Habitat

Upland grasslands, rocky areas near water, and burnt savanna

Range

West and Central Africa, ranging from Guinea to southwestern Angola

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-fronted DotterelThinornis melanops Hooded PloverThinornis cucullatus Little Ringed PloverThinornis dubius Long-billed PloverThinornis placidus Shore PloverThinornis novaeseelandiae Three-banded PloverThinornis tricollaris Three-banded PloverThinornis tricollaris

Heard a Forbes's Plover?

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