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

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

Aphelocoma woodhouseii

A slender, crestless corvid of the interior West, distinguished from the California Scrub-Jay by its duller blue plumage and thinner, more pointed bill.

What it sounds like

A harsh, rising 'shreeep' or a series of nasal, raspy 'quay-quay-quay' notes.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

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Rec. Richard E. Webster · United StatesCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Was considered the same species as the California Scrub-Jay until formally split by the AOU in 2016.
Specifically adapted with a narrower bill to better probe and extract seeds from pinyon pine cones.
Practices 'scatter-hoarding,' where an individual bird can cache thousands of pinyon nuts in a single autumn.
Demonstrates advanced spatial memory, allowing it to relocate hidden food stores months later.
Lacks the bold blue breast-band of its coastal relatives, instead showing a faint, grayish-blue necklace.

Habitat

Pinyon-juniper woodlands, oak scrub, and montane chaparral.

Range

Interior Western United States and Mexico, from the Great Basin and Rockies south to Oaxaca.

Similar & commonly confused birds

California Scrub-JayAphelocoma californica Florida Scrub-JayAphelocoma coerulescens Island Scrub-JayAphelocoma insularis Mexican JayAphelocoma wollweberi Transvolcanic JayAphelocoma ultramarina Unicolored JayAphelocoma unicolor

Heard a Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay?

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

Identify a bird by its song