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

Summer Tanager

Piranga rubra

The Summer Tanager is a medium-sized songbird and the only species in North America where the adult male is entirely rose-red year-round.

What it sounds like

A series of rhythmic, whistled phrases similar to an American Robin; call is a sharp, staccato 'pit-ti-tuck'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:19

Rec. Étienne Leroy · MexicoCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

They are specialized bee and wasp hunters, often catching them in mid-air or raiding their nests.
To safely consume stinging insects, they rub the prey against a branch to remove the stinger and venom sac.
Despite their common name, genetic research places them in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae) rather than the true tanager family.
Females and immature males are a distinctive mustard-yellow or olive-green, providing camouflage in the forest canopy.
They are known as 'gap-crossing' migrants, traveling across the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight during migration.

Habitat

Open deciduous forests, oak-pine woodlands, and riverside groves.

Range

Breeds in the southern and eastern United States and northern Mexico; winters in Central and northern South America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Flame-colored TanagerPiranga bidentata Hepatic TanagerPiranga flava Red-headed TanagerPiranga erythrocephala Red-hooded TanagerPiranga rubriceps Rose-throated TanagerPiranga roseogularis Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana White-winged TanagerPiranga leucoptera

Heard a Summer Tanager?

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