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

Roseate Tern

Sterna dougallii

A slender, pale seabird characterized by its exceptionally long tail streamers and a subtle rosy hue on its breast during the breeding season. It is a specialized coastal diver often nesting in dense colonies alongside other tern species.

What it sounds like

A sharp, disyllabic 'chi-vick' and a diagnostic, low-pitched, rasping 'z-vreet'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Tristan Guillebot de Nerville · FranceCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Develops a delicate pinkish tint on its underparts during the breeding season derived from dietary carotenoids.
Possesses the longest tail streamers relative to body size of any species in the genus Sterna.
Nests preferentially in heavy cover, such as under vegetation or rock crevices, to protect chicks from kleptoparasitic gulls.
The North Atlantic population is federally listed as endangered in the United States due to habitat loss and high predation rates.
During the peak of the breeding season, its bill appears almost entirely black, which distinguishes it from the red-based bill of the Common Tern.

Habitat

Coastal islands, barrier beaches, and rocky outcrops, typically requiring sites with protective vegetation for nesting.

Range

Fragmented global distribution across the North Atlantic coasts, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and parts of the Western Pacific.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Antarctic TernSterna vittata Arctic TernSterna paradisaea Black-bellied TernSterna acuticauda Black-naped TernSterna sumatrana Common TernSterna hirundo Forster's TernSterna forsteri Kerguelen TernSterna virgata River TernSterna aurantia

Heard a Roseate Tern?

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