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

Western Wood-Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

A small, drab tyrant flycatcher of Western North America, distinguished by its lack of a prominent eye-ring and its persistent, burry vocalizations.

What it sounds like

A nasal, burry, descending 'pee-ee-er' or 'pee-deer'.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 1:18

Rec. Marc Anderson · EcuadorCC BY-NC-ND Xeno-canto

Field notes

Visually nearly identical to the Eastern Wood-Pewee, it is best differentiated by its harsher, descending song and primary projection.
It is a long-distance migrant, traveling from northern breeding grounds to wintering sites in the Andean slopes of South America.
Unlike many small flycatchers, it lacks a distinct white eye-ring, which helps birders distinguish it from the Empidonax genus.
It practices 'sallying' behavior, capturing flying insects mid-air and frequently returning to the exact same perching branch.
The nest is a meticulously constructed open cup of plant fibers and hair, often camouflaged with lichen to look like a knot on a horizontal limb.

Habitat

Open coniferous forests, deciduous woodlands, and riparian edges.

Range

Breeds across Western North America from Alaska to Central America; winters in northwestern South America.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Blackish PeweeContopus nigrescens Cuban PeweeContopus caribaeus Dark PeweeContopus lugubris Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens Greater PeweeContopus pertinax Hispaniolan PeweeContopus hispaniolensis Jamaican PeweeContopus pallidus Jamaican PeweeContopus pallidus

Heard a Western Wood-Pewee?

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