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?

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Do I need an account or internet to identify a bird?

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Birdsong field guide

Reunion Night Heron

Nycticorax duboisi

An extinct, robust heron endemic to Réunion Island, known today only from subfossil remains and 17th-century traveler accounts.

What it sounds like

Described by historical observers as a harsh, raucous croak typical of the Nycticorax genus.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

It was significantly larger and more heavy-set than its extant relative, the Black-crowned Night Heron.
The species was first documented in 1674 by the traveler Dubois, who described it as a 'big and beautiful' bird.
Unlike many other island endemics, skeletal analysis suggests it remained capable of flight despite having relatively short wings.
It likely succumbed to extinction by 1700 due to a combination of habitat loss, overhunting, and predation by introduced rats and cats.
Its taxonomic identity remained a mystery until subfossil bones were recovered and matched to historical descriptions in the late 20th century.

Habitat

Freshwater marshes, mountain streams, and coastal lagoons.

Range

Réunion Island (Mascarene Islands)

Similar & commonly confused birds

Ascension Night HeronNycticorax olsoni Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticorax Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax Mauritius Night HeronNycticorax mauritianus Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus Rodrigues Night HeronNycticorax megacephalus

Heard a Reunion Night Heron?

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