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

Short-toed Treecreeper

Certhia brachydactyla

A small, cryptically colored woodland bird specialized for climbing tree trunks in a spiraling motion to forage for insects.

What it sounds like

A rhythmic, high-pitched 'tsee-tsee-tsee-tiss' song, faster and more persistent than its close relatives.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Esperanza Poveda · SpainCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Despite its name, its hind claw is only marginally shorter than the Eurasian Treecreeper's, while its bill is often longer.
It uses stiff, pointed tail feathers as a structural prop against bark, functioning similarly to a woodpecker's tail.
The species almost exclusively climbs upward; once it reaches the top of a tree, it flies down to the base of the next to begin again.
It is a highly sedentary species, rarely migrating far from its breeding territory even during harsh winters.
Nests are typically constructed in narrow crevices behind loose bark or within dense ivy on mature deciduous trees.

Habitat

Mature deciduous and mixed woodlands, parks, and gardens with fissured bark.

Range

Southern and central Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Bar-tailed TreecreeperCerthia himalayana Brown CreeperCerthia americana Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris Hodgson's TreecreeperCerthia hodgsoni Hume's TreecreeperCerthia manipurensis Rusty-flanked TreecreeperCerthia nipalensis Sichuan TreecreeperCerthia tianquanensis Sikkim TreecreeperCerthia discolor

Heard a Short-toed Treecreeper?

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Identify a bird by its song