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

Greater Pewee

Contopus pertinax

A large, tufted flycatcher of montane pine-oak woodlands, easily recognized by its peaked head and distinctively orange lower mandible.

What it sounds like

A clear, melancholy whistle often transcribed as 'Ho-say Ma-ree-ah' or 'pip-pip-peee.'

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Manuel Grosselet · MexicoCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the largest member of the genus Contopus found north of the Mexican border.
The species is characterized by its nearly entirely orange-yellow lower mandible, which stands out against its drab olive-gray plumage.
Unlike many smaller Empidonax flycatchers, the Greater Pewee lacks a conspicuous eye-ring and strong wing bars.
It typically perches on high, dead branches (snags) to sally out for flying insects in a 'flycatching' maneuver.
It was historically known as Coues's Flycatcher, named after the prominent 19th-century ornithologist Elliott Coues.

Habitat

High-altitude pine-oak forests and montane coniferous woodlands.

Range

Montane regions of Arizona and New Mexico south through Mexico to Nicaragua.

Similar & commonly confused birds

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

Heard a Greater Pewee?

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