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.

Privacy Policy | Birdsong

This Privacy Policy explains what data Birdsong collects and how we use it. We aim to collect only what's needed to run the app well.

1. Information we collect

Account data: your email, name (optional), and a securely hashed password. If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your basic profile and email from that provider (and never your provider password).
Audio recordings & uploads you submit for identification.
Approximate location (only if you allow it) to range-check identifications and show nearby sightings.
Journal & community content you create (sightings, notes, posts).
Usage & device data: basic logs, identifiers, and diagnostics needed to operate and secure the service.

2. How we use your information

To identify birds and provide field-guide content;
To save your journal and power the community feed;
To process subscriptions and prevent fraud;
To send account, security, and (if you opt in) product emails;
To maintain, secure, and improve the service.

3. AI processing

To identify a bird, your audio (and, if provided, approximate location) is sent to our AI provider (Google Gemini, via the Emergent platform) to generate a result. We cache generated species facts and illustrations to reduce repeat processing and cost.

4. Third-party services

We share data only with trusted providers that help us run the app:

RevenueCat and Stripe, subscription and payment processing (we never see your full card details);
Apple and Google, when you choose Sign in with Apple or Google, and for in-app purchases made through the App Store or Google Play;
Google, AI identification and advertising (Google AdSense on the web, Google AdMob in the mobile apps);
Resend, transactional emails such as password resets;
Emergent, hosting and AI infrastructure.

We do not sell your personal information.

5. Advertising & cookies

Birdsong uses cookies and similar technologies (including browser local storage) to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and operate the app. These essential cookies are required for the service to work.

The free tier is supported by advertising, served through Google AdSense on the web and Google AdMob in our mobile apps. Google and its partners use cookies, mobile advertising identifiers, and device identifiers to serve and measure ads and, where permitted, to personalise them based on your prior activity. Pro subscribers do not see ads.

You can learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and manage ad personalisation at adssettings.google.com. If you are in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before personalised ads or non-essential cookies are used, and you can change your choice at any time.

6. Data retention

We keep your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service. You can delete individual journal entries and posts at any time. When you delete your account, we remove your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we must keep it for legal, tax, or security reasons or in routine backups.

7. Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at support@birdsongapp.com.

8. Security & children

We use industry-standard measures (encryption in transit, hashed passwords) to protect your data, though no method is 100% secure. The app is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them.

9. Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll post the new version here and update the date above; material changes will be notified in the app or by email.