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

Montane Blue Swallow

Hirundo atrocaerulea

A rare and striking intra-African migrant, the Blue Swallow is a specialized inhabitant of high-altitude mist-belt grasslands currently classified as Vulnerable.

What it sounds like

A soft, musical 'bee-bee-bee-bee' and a sharp, metallic 'tsit' or 'chi-tichit' given during flight.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Dries Van de Loock · ZimbabweCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

It possesses a brilliant, uniform metallic steel-blue plumage that can appear velvety black in low light conditions.
The species is an obligate nester in underground cavities, utilizing sinkholes, aardvark burrows, or abandoned mine shafts.
It is highly dependent on pristine, high-rainfall sourveld grasslands and is extremely sensitive to habitat fragmentation.
Adults exhibit elongated, streamer-like outer tail feathers which are significantly longer in males than in females.
The population is estimated to be fewer than 4,000 individuals globally, making it one of Africa's most threatened swallows.

Habitat

High-altitude, high-rainfall montane grasslands and associated wetlands.

Range

Breeds in Southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi) and winters in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, DRC).

Similar & commonly confused birds

Angola SwallowHirundo angolensis Barn SwallowHirundo rustica Black-and-rufous SwallowHirundo nigrorufa Ethiopian SwallowHirundo aethiopica Hill SwallowHirundo domicola Pacific SwallowHirundo javanica Pearl-breasted SwallowHirundo dimidiata Pied-winged SwallowHirundo leucosoma

Heard a Montane Blue Swallow?

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