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

Pine Bunting

Emberiza leucocephalos

The Pine Bunting is a robust migratory passerine of the Palearctic, serving as the eastern ecological counterpart to the more common Yellowhammer.

What it sounds like

A sharp, metallic 'tzit' or 'zip' call; the song is a high-pitched, shivering trill similar to the Yellowhammer's 'little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheese' but usually shorter.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Geoff Carey · ChinaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It lacks any yellow pigments in its plumage, which distinguishes it from its closest relative, the Yellowhammer.
The species frequently hybridizes with Yellowhammers in a vast overlap zone across central Siberia, producing intermediate offspring.
Adult males are characterized by a striking white crown and white ear-coverts framed by deep chestnut-brown plumage.
It is a ground-nesting species, typically concealing its grass-lined cup under dense shrubs or fallen timber.
While primarily granivorous in winter, it becomes highly insectivorous during the breeding season to provide protein for its young.

Habitat

Open coniferous forests, specifically pine and larch, and woodland edges with grassy clearings.

Range

Breeds from eastern Europe across Russia to Mongolia; winters in Central Asia, northern India, and the Middle East.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-faced BuntingEmberiza spodocephala Black-headed BuntingEmberiza melanocephala Brown-rumped BuntingEmberiza affinis Cabanis's BuntingEmberiza cabanisi Cape BuntingEmberiza capensis Chestnut BuntingEmberiza rutila Chestnut-eared BuntingEmberiza fucata Cinereous BuntingEmberiza cineracea

Heard a Pine Bunting?

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Identify a bird by its song