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

Melancholy Woodpecker

Dendropicos lugubris

A small, somberly plumaged woodpecker native to West African tropical forests, distinguished by its dull olive-brown upperparts and streaked underparts.

What it sounds like

A high-pitched, rapid series of 'week-week-week' notes, sometimes ending in a slight trill.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:35

Rec. Étienne Leroy · Ivory CoastCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is frequently considered conspecific with the Gabon Woodpecker, though it is often split based on its darker plumage and habitat preferences.
Males exhibit a small, distinct red patch on the rear of the crown, while females have an entirely dark olive-brown head.
This species is highly social for a woodpecker, often joining mixed-species foraging flocks to hunt for insects in the mid-story.
Unlike many woodpecker species that prefer open woodland, the Melancholy Woodpecker is specialized for dense, humid lowland evergreen forests.
Its foraging technique involves a combination of light tapping, probing, and gleaning rather than heavy excavation of wood.

Habitat

Lowland evergreen forest, forest edges, and occasionally mature secondary growth.

Range

West Africa, from Guinea and Sierra Leone east to Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Abyssinian WoodpeckerDendropicos abyssinicus African Gray WoodpeckerDendropicos goertae Brown-backed WoodpeckerDendropicos obsoletus Cardinal WoodpeckerDendropicos fuscescens Elliot's WoodpeckerDendropicos elliotii Gabon WoodpeckerDendropicos gabonensis Little Gray WoodpeckerDendropicos elachus Mountain Gray WoodpeckerDendropicos spodocephalus

Heard a Melancholy Woodpecker?

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