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

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

A brilliantly colored marsh bird with iridescent purple-blue plumage and oversized yellow feet, the Purple Gallinule is a member of the rail family known for its ability to walk on floating vegetation.

What it sounds like

A series of loud, rhythmic, cackling 'kek-kek-kek' notes often combined with nasal grunts and squawks.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · BrazilCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Equipped with exceptionally long toes, it can walk on lily pads and other thin floating plants without sinking.
Adults feature a prominent pale blue frontal shield on the forehead, situated just above a red bill with a yellow tip.
It is a versatile omnivore that consumes a wide variety of food including seeds, fruits, insects, frogs, and even the eggs of other birds.
Juveniles look significantly different from adults, appearing mostly buff-brown before molting into their vibrant iridescent feathers.
Despite their clumsy-looking flight with dangling legs, they are capable of long-distance migration and have been documented as vagrants as far away as South Africa and Europe.

Habitat

Freshwater marshes and swamps with dense emergent and floating vegetation such as lily pads and pickerelweed.

Range

Southeastern United States and Caribbean through Central America to northern South America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

African SwamphenPorphyrio madagascariensis Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus Azure GallinulePorphyrio flavirostris Black-backed SwamphenPorphyrio indicus Gray-headed SwamphenPorphyrio poliocephalus Lord Howe SwamphenPorphyrio albus Marquesan SwamphenPorphyrio paepae

Heard a Purple Gallinule?

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