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

Vaux's Swift

Chaetura vauxi

The smallest swift in North America, characterized by its rapid, erratic flight and cigar-shaped body. It is often seen in large, swirling flocks during migration as it enters communal roosts.

What it sounds like

Rapid, high-pitched, chattering chips and sharp twittering notes.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Don Henise · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Smallest North American swift species, averaging only 12 centimeters in length.
Uses adhesive saliva to cement its nest of twigs to vertical surfaces inside hollow trees or chimneys.
Highly gregarious during migration, with thousands of individuals roosting together in single large chimneys.
Spends the majority of its life in flight, drinking, bathing, and foraging for insects entirely on the wing.
Known for its 'twinkling' flight style caused by very rapid, shallow wingbeats.

Habitat

Old-growth coniferous or deciduous forests with large hollow snags; increasingly common in urban areas with brick chimneys.

Range

Breeds from Southeast Alaska through the Pacific Northwest to California; winters in Mexico and Central America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Ashy-tailed SwiftChaetura andrei Band-rumped SwiftChaetura spinicaudus Chapman's SwiftChaetura chapmani Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica Costa Rican SwiftChaetura fumosa Gray-rumped SwiftChaetura cinereiventris Lesser Antillean SwiftChaetura martinica Pale-rumped SwiftChaetura egregia

Heard a Vaux's Swift?

Open Birdsong, tap record, and identify the bird singing near you in seconds — then collect it in your field journal.

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