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

Mascarene Petrel

Pseudobulweria aterrima

The Mascarene Petrel is a critically endangered, medium-sized gadfly petrel endemic to Reunion Island, characterized by its uniform dark chocolate-brown plumage and robust black bill.

What it sounds like

Repetitive, high-pitched whistling or 'ti-ti-ti' vocalizations emitted primarily at night when returning to colony burrows.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Life+Petrels: Reunion National Park, SEOR, Reunion University · FranceCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Once feared extinct, the species was only rediscovered in the 1970s and remains one of the rarest seabirds in the world.
It is strictly nocturnal at its inland breeding sites to avoid predation by invasive mammals and diurnal raptors.
Fledglings are highly vulnerable to light pollution, often becoming disoriented and grounded by urban artificial lights during their first flight to the sea.
The species nests in burrows located on inaccessible, high-altitude volcanic cliffs often shrouded in mist.
Its population is extremely small, with estimates suggesting fewer than 100 breeding pairs exist in the wild.

Habitat

Pelagic waters of the Indian Ocean and high-elevation volcanic mountain cliffs for nesting.

Range

Endemic to Reunion Island; occasionally sighted in the Mascarene Basin.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Beck's PetrelPseudobulweria becki Fiji PetrelPseudobulweria macgillivrayi Tahiti PetrelPseudobulweria rostrata

Heard a Mascarene Petrel?

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