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

Spectacled Guillemot

Cepphus carbo

The Spectacled Guillemot is a robust, soot-black auk easily identified by its distinctive white eye patches and vivid red feet. It is a specialized pursuit-diver endemic to the coastal waters of the Northwest Pacific.

What it sounds like

A series of high-pitched, thin whistles and shrill, twittering 'si-si-si' notes.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is the largest species within the genus Cepphus, reaching up to 38 centimeters in length.
In breeding season, its plumage is entirely sooty-black except for the striking white 'spectacles' around the eyes.
Unlike most other alcids which lay a single egg, the Spectacled Guillemot typically lays a clutch of two eggs.
The bright red interior of its mouth, or gape, is used in elaborate social displays to signal aggression or courtship.
They are primarily solitary or small-colony nesters, favoring rocky crevices or burrows over the massive crowded rookeries of other auks.

Habitat

Rocky coastal cliffs, boulder screes, and temperate neritic waters.

Range

Northwest Pacific Ocean, including the Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan, and the Kuril Islands.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black GuillemotCepphus grylle Pigeon GuillemotCepphus columba

Heard a Spectacled Guillemot?

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