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

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

The Northern Parula is a small, colorful wood-warbler distinguished by its blue-gray upperparts, yellow throat, and characteristic white eye-ring fragments.

What it sounds like

An ascending, buzzy trill that climbs in pitch and ends abruptly with a sharp 'zip'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Sue Riffe · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is one of the smallest wood-warblers in North America, often weighing less than a AAA battery.
Nesting sites are almost exclusively chosen within hanging masses of Spanish moss or Usnea lichens.
The species features a unique 'broken' eye-ring, with white crescents above and below the eye.
They occasionally hybridize with the Yellow-throated Warbler, resulting in a rare hybrid known as 'Sutton's Warbler'.
Unlike many warblers that forage on the ground, Northern Parulas typically stay high in the canopy to glean insects from foliage.

Habitat

Mature coniferous and deciduous forests, particularly bottomland swamps and riparian woodlands with abundant epiphytes.

Range

Breeds throughout eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast; winters in the Caribbean and Central America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Adelaide's WarblerSetophaga adelaidae American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla Arrowhead WarblerSetophaga pharetra Bahama WarblerSetophaga flavescens Barbuda WarblerSetophaga subita Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens Black-throated Gray WarblerSetophaga nigrescens

Heard a Northern Parula?

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