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

Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates monorhis

A small, elusive, all-dark seabird distinguished from its congeners by the absence of a white rump patch and its erratic, skipping flight.

What it sounds like

A rhythmic series of dry, chattering 'wick-a, wick-a' notes and low, vibrating purrs emitted primarily from within nesting burrows.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 2:25

Rec. Haemin Seo · South KoreaCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It was historically considered a subspecies of Leach's Storm-Petrel but is now recognized as a distinct species based on morphology and vocalizations.
The species breeds in dense colonies on remote islands in the Northwest Pacific, nesting in deep burrows or rock crevices to avoid predators.
It possesses a highly developed olfactory system, allowing it to locate patchy prey sources like squid and crustaceans across the vast open ocean.
While primarily a Pacific species, its mysterious and frequent appearances in the North Atlantic have intrigued ornithologists for decades.
It is strictly nocturnal at breeding colonies to mitigate the risk of predation by gulls and other opportunistic avian hunters.

Habitat

Pelagic waters and offshore islands.

Range

Breeds in the Northwest Pacific (Japan, Korea, China); winters in the northern Indian Ocean; occasional vagrant in the North Atlantic.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Ainley's Storm-PetrelHydrobates cheimomnestes Ashy Storm-PetrelHydrobates homochroa Band-rumped Storm-PetrelHydrobates castro Black Storm-PetrelHydrobates melania Cape Verde Storm-PetrelHydrobates jabejabe European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus Fork-tailed Storm-PetrelHydrobates furcatus Guadalupe Storm-PetrelHydrobates macrodactylus

Heard a Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel?

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