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

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

A large, migratory shorebird easily identified by its long, decurved bill and bold dark stripes across the crown. It is a master of long-distance navigation, performing marathon flights between Arctic breeding grounds and tropical wintering sites.

What it sounds like

A rapid, rhythmic series of 5 to 7 high-pitched, whistled notes: 'pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-pip'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Albert Lastukhin · Costa RicaCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

Known for extraordinary non-stop migratory flights, sometimes covering over 4,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in a single leg.
While they eat marine invertebrates on the coast, they rely heavily on crowberries and blueberries to fuel up during the breeding season.
The Hudsonian species is distinguished from the Eurasian Whimbrel by its dark rump and lack of a white dorsal wedge.
Their decurved bill is evolutionarily specialized for reaching into the deep, curved burrows of fiddler crabs.
They exhibit high site fidelity, with individual birds returning to the exact same coastal stopover points year after year.

Habitat

Arctic tundra and muskeg during breeding; coastal mudflats, salt marshes, and mangroves during winter.

Range

Breeds in Alaska and northern Canada; winters along the coasts of North and South America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensis Eskimo CurlewNumenius borealis Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquata Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis Little CurlewNumenius minutus Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris

Heard a Hudsonian Whimbrel?

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