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

South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

A powerful, opportunistic Antarctic predator known for its exceptional trans-equatorial migrations and aggressive foraging behavior.

What it sounds like

A loud, harsh, repetitive 'hah-hah-hah' or 'kek-kek-kek', typically delivered during an upright wing-raising display.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 1:22

Rec. Stein Ø. Nilsen · AntarcticaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is one of the very few bird species recorded as far inland as the Geographic South Pole.
The species is highly migratory, with some individuals traveling to the North Pacific and North Atlantic during the austral winter.
They are renowned kleptoparasites, frequently harassing other seabirds to steal their catch or preying on penguin eggs and chicks.
Pairs exhibit high site fidelity, often returning to the same nesting territory and the same mate for many years.
They occur in three color morphs—pale, intermediate, and dark—with the pale morph being the most common in some Antarctic populations.

Habitat

Antarctic coastlines, rocky islands, ice shelves, and open pelagic waters.

Range

Breeds on the Antarctic continent; migrates globally across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Brown SkuaStercorarius antarcticus Chilean SkuaStercorarius chilensis Great SkuaStercorarius skua Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudus Parasitic JaegerStercorarius parasiticus Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinus

Heard a South Polar Skua?

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