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

Wilson's Plover

Anarhynchus wilsonia

A medium-sized coastal shorebird distinguished by its unusually heavy black bill, the Wilson's Plover is a specialist of sandy beaches and salt flats.

What it sounds like

A sharp, high-pitched, whistled 'wheep' or 'pheet' often with a rising inflection.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

No reference call found yet · Xeno-canto

Field notes

Its oversized, thick bill is a specialized tool specifically evolved for crushing the hard shells of fiddler crabs.
Unlike many other plovers, this species is strictly coastal and is almost never found at inland freshwater locations.
To protect its ground nest, the Wilson's Plover performs a convincing 'broken-wing' distraction display to lure predators away.
The species was named by George Ord in 1814 in honor of the 'Father of American Ornithology,' Alexander Wilson.
They are solitary nesters rather than colonial, often placing their simple sand scrapes near driftwood for added camouflage.

Habitat

Coastal beaches, sandbars, salt flats, and estuarine mudflats.

Range

Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States south through the Caribbean to Brazil and Peru.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Caspian PloverAnarhynchus asiaticus Chestnut-banded PloverAnarhynchus pallidus Collared PloverAnarhynchus collaris Double-banded PloverAnarhynchus bicinctus Greater Sand-PloverAnarhynchus leschenaultii Javan PloverAnarhynchus javanicus Javan PloverAnarhynchus javanicus Kentish PloverAnarhynchus alexandrinus

Heard a Wilson's Plover?

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