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

Zino's Petrel

Pterodroma madeira

A critically endangered gadfly petrel endemic to Madeira, distinguished by its high-altitude nesting sites and specialized pelagic lifestyle.

What it sounds like

A mournful, ghostly howling or moaning 'oooo-er', typically heard only at night near the breeding ledges.

Reference call, compare with what you heard

0:00 / 0:32

Rec. Emil Lundahl · PortugalCC BY-NC-SA Xeno-canto

Field notes

Rediscovered in 1969 by Frank Zino after being considered extinct for decades.
Nests exclusively on inaccessible, well-vegetated mountain ledges at altitudes above 1,600 meters.
A catastrophic wildfire in 2010 decimated the population, killing 25% of the adults and 65% of the chicks.
Population survival is heavily reliant on intensive predator control to mitigate the impact of rats and feral cats.
Individuals are highly nocturnal at breeding colonies to avoid predation by Yellow-legged Gulls.

Habitat

High-altitude mountain cliffs for breeding; deep pelagic ocean waters elsewhere.

Range

Endemic to Madeira Island, Portugal; ranges across the North and Central Atlantic.

Similar & commonly confused birds

Atlantic PetrelPterodroma incerta Barau's PetrelPterodroma baraui Bermuda PetrelPterodroma cahow Black-capped PetrelPterodroma hasitata Black-winged PetrelPterodroma nigripennis Bonin PetrelPterodroma hypoleuca Cape Verde PetrelPterodroma feae Chatham Islands PetrelPterodroma axillaris

Heard a Zino's Petrel?

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