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

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

The world's smallest shorebird, this diminutive 'peep' is best distinguished from its relatives by its pale yellowish-green legs and slightly decurved bill.

What it sounds like

A thin, high-pitched, and rising 'kree-it' or 'wheep'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Étienne Leroy · MexicoCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the smallest sandpiper in the world, often weighing no more than a single AA battery.
Unlike the similar Semipalmated or Western Sandpipers, it typically possesses yellow-to-olive legs rather than black ones.
Its foraging strategy involves 'pecking' at the surface for small crustaceans and insects rather than deep probing.
During migration, it shows a stronger preference for inland freshwater mudflats and grassy marsh edges than for open coastal beaches.
In the breeding season, males perform a characteristic 'butterfly' flight display, hovering with slow wingbeats while singing.

Habitat

Boreal forest bogs and subarctic tundra for nesting; inland mudflats, flooded fields, and salt marshes during migration.

Range

Breeds across northern North America; winters from the southern United States through the Caribbean to northern South America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellus Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollis Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginea DunlinCalidris alpina Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris Little StintCalidris minuta Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta

Heard a Least Sandpiper?

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