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

Indian Cormorant

Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

A medium-sized, slender cormorant of the Indian subcontinent distinguished by its bronze-brown plumage, blue eyes, and white ear tufts during the breeding season.

What it sounds like

Mostly silent when foraging; produces a series of low-pitched, guttural grunts and croaks at the nesting colony.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Peter Boesman · IndiaCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

Engages in highly coordinated 'social fishing' where large flocks drive schools of fish into shallow water.
Lacks the white throat patch of the Great Cormorant but possesses a more pointed, narrow bill and a distinctive rectangular tail shape.
Feathers are semi-permeable to water, reducing buoyancy for more efficient diving but requiring 'wing-drying' postures on land.
It is more gregarious than the Little Cormorant, often nesting in large, dense mixed-species heronries.
Displays a striking facial transformation during breeding, developing fine white speckling on the head and prominent white tufts behind the eyes.

Habitat

Inland freshwater bodies such as large rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, as well as brackish estuaries and mangrove creeks.

Range

The Indian subcontinent, extending east into Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Bank CormorantPhalacrocorax neglectus Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens Cape CormorantPhalacrocorax capensis Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis Japanese CormorantPhalacrocorax capillatus Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius

Heard a Indian Cormorant?

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