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

Lady Amherst's Pheasant

Chrysolophus amherstiae

A spectacular and elusive gamebird of the pheasant family, characterized by the male's extravagant black-and-white nuchal ruff and exceptionally long, patterned tail feathers.

What it sounds like

A harsh, metallic, and raspy screeching 'chack-chack' or a loud, whistling 'hwee-hwee' given during the breeding season.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Jelle Scharringa · ChinaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

The male's tail can grow up to 115 centimeters long, significantly exceeding the length of its actual body.
Named after Sarah Amherst, who sent the first specimens to London in 1828, the species is closely related to the Golden Pheasant.
Despite the male's vibrant plumage, they are remarkably difficult to observe in the wild due to their shy nature and preference for dense cover.
Females are cryptically colored in rufous-brown with heavy black barring to provide camouflage while nesting on the forest floor.
In areas where their ranges overlap, they can hybridize with Golden Pheasants, producing fertile offspring with intermediate physical traits.

Habitat

Dense bamboo thickets and montane evergreen or mixed forests at high altitudes.

Range

Native to southwestern China and far northern Myanmar; small naturalized populations exist in the United Kingdom.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Golden PheasantChrysolophus pictus

Heard a Lady Amherst's Pheasant?

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