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

Hawaiian Rail

Zapornia sandwichensis

A small, flightless rail endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi, now extinct due to the introduction of invasive mammalian predators and habitat loss.

What it sounds like

Described by historical accounts as a low, repetitive clucking or 'churring' sound.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

Known to native Hawaiians as the 'moho', the bird was historically hunted for its reddish-brown feathers.
It occurred in two distinct color morphs, light and dark, which led early naturalists to mistakenly classify them as two separate species.
Unlike most rail species that inhabit wetlands, this bird specialized in high-altitude open shrublands and subalpine forests.
The species was completely flightless, an evolutionary adaptation to island life that made it highly vulnerable to introduced rats, cats, and mongooses.
The last confirmed specimen was collected in 1884, and the species is believed to have gone extinct shortly thereafter.

Habitat

Open scrublands, grasslands, and mesic forests at high elevations.

Range

Endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi (Big Island).

Similar & commonly confused birds

Baillon's CrakeZapornia pusilla Band-bellied CrakeZapornia paykullii Black CrakeZapornia flavirostra Black-tailed CrakeZapornia bicolor Brown CrakeZapornia akool Henderson Island CrakeZapornia atra Kosrae CrakeZapornia monasa Kosrae CrakeZapornia monasa

Heard a Hawaiian Rail?

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