Detections will appear here.
Identify Any Bird by Its Song, Free in Your Browser
Bird-Spot's Song ID listens through your device's microphone and names the birds singing around you in real time, no app to download, no sign-up, no fee. It runs entirely in your browser (your audio never leaves your device) and works on phone or desktop. It's powered by the open BirdNET model from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
How it works
- Tap "Start" and allow microphone access.
- Let it listen, birds are identified live as they sing.
- Tap any bird to open its full Bird-Spot species guide, and turn on location for rarity ratings.
A free bird song identifier, how it compares
Apps like Merlin Bird ID are excellent, but they require an app install. Bird-Spot's Song ID does real-time sound identification right in the browser, handy when you just want to know "what bird is that?" without downloading anything. Every detected species links to a full guide on Bird-Spot, and detections stay on screen so you can build a list of everything you heard.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free bird song identifier?
Yes, Bird-Spot's Song ID is completely free, with no app download or account required. It works in any modern browser on phone or desktop.
Do I need to download an app?
No. Unlike the Merlin or BirdNET apps, this runs in your web browser, just open the page, allow your microphone, and start listening.
How does it identify birds by sound?
It uses the open-source BirdNET neural network from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to analyze audio from your microphone and match it against thousands of species, all on your device.
Can it identify birds singing in real time?
Yes. As birds sing nearby their names appear live and stay on your list, so you can see everything you heard in a session.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes, it works on both mobile and desktop browsers, which makes it handy for identifying birds on a walk or in the backyard.
How the Bird Song Identifier Works
Tap the microphone and this tool listens to the birds around you in real time, matching what it hears against BirdNET, the acoustic identification model developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Chemnitz University of Technology. Everything runs directly in your browser: no app to install, no account, and your audio never leaves your device.
It recognizes the songs and calls of more than 6,000 species worldwide, from the dawn chorus in your backyard to warblers high in the canopy that you may never see. Each match is shown with a confidence score so you know how certain the identification is.
Tips for Better Song Identification
Get within about 30 feet of the singing bird if you can, minimize wind and background noise, and let the tool listen for at least 10 to 15 seconds. Early morning is the best time: most songbirds sing hardest in the first hours after sunrise, especially in spring and early summer.
Have a photo instead of a song? Use our AI Photo Identifier on the BirdSpot homepage: upload any bird photo and get the species, field marks, habitat, and behavior in seconds. Between the two tools you can identify any bird by photo or by song, completely free.
What Bird Is Singing?
Some of the most-asked-about voices: the flute-like spiral of a Wood Thrush at dusk, the endless mimicry of a Northern Mockingbird (often at night), the cheerful 'cheer-up, cheerily' of an American Robin, and the namesake call of the Black-capped Chickadee. If a mystery bird is singing after dark, see our guide to night-singing birds.