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

Mountain Chickadee

Poecile gambeli

A small, hardy songbird of western montane forests, distinguished from other chickadees by a prominent white eyebrow stripe.

What it sounds like

A husky, multi-syllabic 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee' and a clear, descending whistled song often described as 'fee-bee-bay'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Greg Irving · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Possesses a distinct white supercilium that breaks up the solid black cap characteristic of other chickadee species.
Utilizes regulated nocturnal hypothermia (torpor) to survive extreme sub-freezing temperatures in high-altitude winters.
Demonstrates exceptional spatial memory, caching thousands of food items and recovering them using an enlarged hippocampus.
High-elevation populations show significantly higher spatial learning abilities compared to their lower-elevation counterparts.
Maintains a monogamous breeding system, typically nesting in natural cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes in coniferous snags.

Habitat

Montane coniferous forests, particularly those dominated by pine, spruce, and fir.

Range

Western North America, ranging from British Columbia through the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada to Baja California.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-bibbed TitPoecile hypermelaenus Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus Boreal ChickadeePoecile hudsonicus Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis Caspian TitPoecile hyrcanus Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens Gray-headed ChickadeePoecile cinctus Marsh TitPoecile palustris

Heard a Mountain Chickadee?

Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.

Identify a bird by its song