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

River Warbler

Locustella fluviatilis

A secretive, olive-brown Old World warbler known for its mechanical, insect-like song and its preference for dense, damp undergrowth.

What it sounds like

A monotonous, high-speed rhythmic 'tcher-tcher-tcher' resembling a sewing machine or a grasshopper.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Christian Bøggild · DenmarkCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

The song is a rapid, rhythmic, and mechanical series of notes that can continue uninterrupted for several minutes.
Unlike many other warblers, it often moves through dense vegetation by walking or running rather than hopping.
It features distinctive blurry, brownish streaking on the throat and upper breast, contrasting with its pale underparts.
It is a long-distance migrant, traveling from breeding grounds in Eurasia to wintering sites in South-Eastern Africa.
The species is highly skulking and is significantly more often heard than seen, typically singing from deep within thickets.

Habitat

Damp deciduous forests, riverine thickets, and marshy areas with dense ground cover like nettles.

Range

Breeds from Central and Eastern Europe to Western Siberia; winters in South-Eastern Africa.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Baikal Bush WarblerLocustella davidi Bamboo WarblerLocustella alfredi Benguet Bush WarblerLocustella seebohmi Brown Bush WarblerLocustella luteoventris Buru Bush WarblerLocustella disturbans Chinese Bush WarblerLocustella tacsanowskia Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia Dalat Bush WarblerLocustella idonea

Heard a River Warbler?

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