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

Ornate Tinamou

Nothoprocta ornata

A medium-sized, ground-dwelling bird of the high Andes, characterized by its intricate cryptic patterning and small, wispy crest.

What it sounds like

A series of clear, penetrating, high-pitched whistles, typically sounding like 'tee-yee' or 'pwee-pwee'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:23

Rec. Niels Krabbe · ArgentinaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Belongs to the Palaeognathae lineage, making it more closely related to ostriches and rheas than to typical gamebirds.
The male takes sole responsibility for incubating the eggs and rearing the precocial chicks.
Lays striking, highly glossy eggs that resemble polished dark chocolate or deep purple porcelain.
Highly adapted to extreme altitudes, surviving in puna grasslands up to 4,800 meters above sea level.
Its plumage provides exceptional camouflage, consisting of complex vermiculations of black, buff, and white.

Habitat

High-altitude puna grasslands, montane scrublands, and agricultural fields like potato or cereal plots.

Range

The Andes of Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Andean TinamouNothoprocta pentlandii Brushland TinamouNothoprocta cinerascens Chilean TinamouNothoprocta perdicaria Curve-billed TinamouNothoprocta curvirostris Taczanowski's TinamouNothoprocta taczanowskii

Heard a Ornate Tinamou?

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