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

Snail Kite

Rostrhamus sociabilis

A specialized wetland raptor known for its highly adapted, deeply hooked bill and its nearly exclusive diet of freshwater apple snails. It is a social species that glides low over marshes to forage.

What it sounds like

A dry, raspy, rattling 'ka-ka-ka-ka' or a series of low, mechanical cackles.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:23

Rec. Douglas Meyer · BrazilCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Possesses a uniquely slender and decurved upper mandible specifically evolved to extract snails from their shells.
Diet is stenophagous, consisting almost entirely of apple snails in the genus Pomacea.
Unlike many raptors, it hunts by plucking prey from the water's surface or vegetation using its talons without diving.
It is a highly gregarious bird, often nesting in loose colonies and roosting in large groups.
In the United States, it is a federally endangered species restricted primarily to the Everglades and the Kissimmee chain of lakes.

Habitat

Freshwater marshes, shallow lakes, and flooded savannas with emergent vegetation.

Range

South Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America to northern Argentina.

Heard a Snail Kite?

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Identify a bird by its song