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

Pin-tailed Whydah

Vidua macroura

A small, brood-parasitic songbird notable for the breeding male's dramatic black tail streamers and aggressive territorial behavior.

What it sounds like

A rapid, high-pitched series of 'tseet-tseet-tseet' chirps and wheezy notes, often mimicking the host species.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:14

Rec. Filippo Ceccolini · NamibiaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Breeding males grow four central tail feathers that can reach 20 centimeters, more than double their total body length.
It is an obligate brood parasite, primarily targeting the Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild) to raise its offspring.
Whydah chicks do not kill their host's young; instead, they coexist and mimic the specific mouth-gape patterns of host nestlings.
The species is native to Sub-Saharan Africa but has established invasive populations in Southern California, Puerto Rico, and Singapore.
During courtship, males perform a hovering display flight, rapidly vibrating their long tail feathers to attract females.

Habitat

Open grasslands, savannas, scrublands, and suburban gardens.

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa and introduced ranges in the Americas and Southeast Asia.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Barka IndigobirdVidua larvaticola Broad-tailed Paradise-WhydahVidua obtusa Cameroon IndigobirdVidua camerunensis Dusky IndigobirdVidua funerea Eastern Paradise-WhydahVidua paradisaea Exclamatory Paradise-WhydahVidua interjecta Green IndigobirdVidua codringtoni Jambandu IndigobirdVidua raricola

Heard a Pin-tailed Whydah?

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Identify a bird by its song