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

Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinella

A striking Eurasian bunting known for the male's brilliant yellow plumage and its iconic, rhythmic song heard across open countryside.

What it sounds like

A rapid succession of high-pitched notes ending in a drawn-out, slightly lower-pitched wheeze.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / --:--

Rec. Louis-Marie Gourmelon · FranceCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Males develop intense lemon-yellow plumage on the head and breast during the breeding season to attract mates.
The species is famous for its distinctive song, often translated into the mnemonic 'a little bit of bread and no cheese.'
It is primarily a ground-nesting bird, concealing its cup-shaped nest in dense vegetation or at the foot of hedgerows.
While adults are mainly granivorous, they switch to a protein-rich diet of invertebrates to feed their nestlings.
The Yellowhammer is a 'Red List' species of conservation concern in several countries due to population declines from agricultural intensification.

Habitat

Open farmland, hedgerows, scrubby margins, and heathlands.

Range

Native across Europe and northern Asia; introduced to New Zealand.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Black-faced BuntingEmberiza spodocephala Black-headed BuntingEmberiza melanocephala Brown-rumped BuntingEmberiza affinis Cabanis's BuntingEmberiza cabanisi Cape BuntingEmberiza capensis Chestnut BuntingEmberiza rutila Chestnut-eared BuntingEmberiza fucata Cinereous BuntingEmberiza cineracea

Heard a Yellowhammer?

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