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

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

A large, elegant sparrow of the American West, easily identified by its olive-green plumage and vibrant rufous crown.

What it sounds like

A complex song of sweet whistles and buzzy trills; the primary call is a distinctive, cat-like 'mew'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Ed Pandolfino · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the smallest towhee species found in North America.
Forages on the ground using a 'double-scratch' technique, hopping forward and kicking both feet back simultaneously to uncover prey.
When agitated or curious, it often raises its rufous crown feathers into a distinct, peaked crest.
Known as an altitudinal migrant, it moves from high-elevation mountain shrublands to low-elevation desert scrub for the winter.
Nests are typically well-concealed and placed very low in dense shrubs, often within three feet of the ground.

Habitat

Montane shrublands, sagebrush thickets, mountain mahogany, and chaparral.

Range

Breeds across the Western United States; winters in the Southwestern US and northern to central Mexico.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Bermuda TowheePipilo naufragus Collared TowheePipilo ocai Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus

Heard a Green-tailed Towhee?

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Identify a bird by its song