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

Thick-billed Longspur

Rhynchophanes mccownii

The Thick-billed Longspur is a specialized grassland songbird of the North American Great Plains, recognized by the male's bold facial markings and black breast crescent.

What it sounds like

A melodic, tinkling series of warbles given during aerial displays; contact call is a dry, rattling 'prd-it'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Paul Marvin · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Males perform a 'skylarking' display, floating down with wings raised in a V-shape while singing.
The species was renamed from McCown's Longspur in 2020 by the American Ornithological Society to remove a Confederate association.
Its white tail features a distinctive dark, inverted T-shaped pattern that is highly visible during flight.
This species is a shortgrass prairie obligate, often preferring areas with patches of bare soil or heavy grazing pressure.
During the breeding season, they are almost entirely insectivorous, but they shift to a diet of seeds during the winter.

Habitat

Arid shortgrass prairies, heavily grazed pastures, and dry lakebeds.

Range

Breeds in the northern Great Plains (US and Canada); winters in the southwestern US and northern Mexico.

Heard a Thick-billed Longspur?

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