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

Tristram's Storm-Petrel

Hydrobates tristrami

A large, dark-plumaged seabird of the North Pacific, the Tristram's Storm-Petrel is distinguished by its deeply forked tail and pale greater covert bars.

What it sounds like

A repetitive, rhythmic series of low whistling notes and guttural churring, often described as 'wick-a-wick-a-wick'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:19

Rec. Drew Lindow · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

It is one of the largest storm-petrel species, reaching a wingspan of up to 56 centimeters.
The species is named after Reverend Henry Baker Tristram, a 19th-century English clergyman and founding member of the British Ornithologists' Union.
They are strictly nocturnal at their breeding sites to minimize the risk of predation by gulls and other raptors.
Unlike many related species that breed in summer, this bird has a winter-breeding phenology, with eggs typically laid between December and February.
Their diet is highly specialized, consisting primarily of squid, small fish, and various species of pelagic crustaceans.

Habitat

Pelagic open ocean; nests in burrows, rock crevices, or under dense vegetation on remote subtropical islands.

Range

Northwest Pacific Ocean, primarily breeding in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the Izu, Bonin, and Volcano Islands of Japan.

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 Tristram's Storm-Petrel?

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