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

Harlequin Quail

Coturnix delegorguei

A small, plump terrestrial gamebird known for the male's striking facial markings and its highly nomadic behavior across sub-Saharan Africa.

What it sounds like

A sharp, metallic, three-syllable whistle often transliterated as 'wit-wit-wit' or 'vit-vit-vit'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:31

Rec. Paul Lenrumé · MadagascarCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Males display a bold, black-and-white anchor-shaped pattern on the throat and face.
The species is highly nomadic, moving in massive numbers to exploit flush vegetation following seasonal rains.
They are prolific breeders, capable of laying clutches of up to 12 eggs in a simple grass-lined scrape.
Unlike many related species, they are strong fliers capable of migrating several hundred kilometers to find suitable habitats.
The birds are highly sexually dimorphic, with females possessing cryptic, mottled brown plumage for ground-nesting protection.

Habitat

Open grasslands, savanna-woodland, and cultivated fields, particularly those with new growth after rain.

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa and portions of the southern Arabian Peninsula.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Common QuailCoturnix coturnix Japanese QuailCoturnix japonica New Zealand QuailCoturnix novaezelandiae Rain QuailCoturnix coromandelica Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis

Heard a Harlequin Quail?

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