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

Peruvian Booby

Sula variegata

A medium-sized seabird of the Humboldt Current, the Peruvian Booby is a striking plunge-diver characterized by its white head and neck and variegated brown wings.

What it sounds like

Males produce thin, high-pitched whistles, while females emit harsher, nasal trumpeting and grunts.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Cristian Pinto Fernandez · ChileCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the second most prolific guano-producing bird in the world, historically vital to the fertilizer industry.
Unlike many other booby species that lay only one or two eggs, they can produce clutches of up to four eggs.
Their population dynamics are extremely sensitive to El Niño Southern Oscillation events, which can cause mass nesting failures.
They are specialist foragers, primarily targeting the Peruvian anchoveta through high-velocity plunge-diving.
Nests are typically simple scrapes on the ground or ledges located on rocky guano islands and coastal cliffs.

Habitat

Cold, nutrient-rich coastal waters and offshore rocky islands.

Range

Western coast of South America, predominantly from northern Peru to central Chile.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Blue-footed BoobySula nebouxii Brown BoobySula leucogaster Cocos BoobySula brewsteri Masked BoobySula dactylatra Nazca BoobySula granti Red-footed BoobySula sula

Heard a Peruvian Booby?

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