Song thrush or mistle thrush? Listen for the repeats
Two thrushes, two very different habits. One trick tells them apart in seconds (sample).
Name the bird you can hear
Hold your phone up and Songlark (sample) listens for three seconds, names the bird and shows the two closest look-alikes. It works with no signal once your region’s songs are saved.
iPhone with iOS 16 or later, Android 10 or later. Free, with an optional Plus plan (sample).
Start
9:41
Listen
Point the phone at the singing.
0:03 listening
Listen
1
Hold it up and tap Listen. Three seconds is usually enough.
9:41
Match
Song thrush 94%
Mistle thrush 4%
Blackbird 2%
Heard 07:12, Mill Wood (sample)
2
Check the match and the two closest look-alikes.
9:41
Song thrush
Repeats each phrase two to four times from a high perch.
Seen nearby: 12 times this week
Add to my list
3
Add it to your list with the time and the place.
9:41
Nearby
Within 5 km, this week
Robin 31
Wren 18
Song thrush 12
4
See what other people heard near you.
The four screens of a match, in the order you tap them. The ring marks the tap that leads to the next screen.
What the app does
Five things, each one tap away. No account needed for any of them.
Names the bird singing from a three-second recording, with the two closest look-alikes and a reference song to compare.
Listen tab
Every song for your region saved on the phone, so a match works in a wood with no signal.
Settings, Packs
Every bird you have heard, with the date, the time and the place. Export it as a spreadsheet any time.
List tab
What other people heard within 5 km this week, so you know what to listen for on your walk.
Map tab
Dims the screen and mutes every sound the app makes, so you do not scare off what you came to hear.
Swipe down on Listen
Made for a wood with no signal
Birds sing loudest at dawn, far from phone masts. Songlark keeps every song for your region on the phone and does the matching there, so it answers in a valley as fast as in a garden.
- About 180 MB for a region, saved once on wifi
- A three-second match uses about as much battery as a photo
- Quiet dawn mode keeps the screen dim and the phone silent
Song packs by region
Choose the region you live in when you first open the app. Plus adds the others, for holidays and migration season.
Region
Species
Download
Updated
Species counts and sizes (sample). Packs update by themselves on wifi.
What Songlark asks for, and why
Four permissions, each asked for at the moment it is needed. You can change every one in your phone’s settings.
Microphone
Only while you tap Listen
To hear the bird. Recordings stay on your phone unless you share one.
Location
When you save a bird
To note where you heard it, rounded to 1 km. You can turn it off and type a place instead.
Notifications
Only if you turn them on
For a weekly note of what is singing near you. Off by default.
Contacts, photos, tracking
Never
The app does not ask for them and has no advertising.
Free, or Plus
The free app names every bird in your region. Plus is for people who keep a list and travel with it.
Free
$0
Sound ID, unlimited, with signal
One offline song pack
Life list on this phone
Reference songs for every species
Plus
$2.99 a month, or $19.99 a year
Everything in Free
Every offline song pack
Nearby map and weekly notes
Life list backup and export
Quiet dawn mode
Example prices. Plus is billed by the App Store or Google Play and can be cancelled there at any time.
What changed lately
3.2
14 Oct (sample)
- Australia song pack: 368 species, including the dawn chorus of the east coast forests
- Faster matching on older Android phones
3.1
2 Sep (sample)
- Quiet dawn mode: dim screen, no sounds
- Life list export as a spreadsheet
3.0
20 Jun (sample)
- Song packs rebuilt: a third smaller, same species
- Two closest look-alikes shown with every match
Field notes
Why the robin sings in winter
Most birds go quiet after summer. Robins keep singing, and the reason is territory (sample).
Recording the dawn chorus: five tips from our field recordist
Get there before sunrise, stand still, and let the wind decide where you stand (sample).
Questions before you download
Something else? Write to [email protected].
Does it work without signal?
Yes, once the song pack for your region is downloaded. Matching then happens on the phone; only the nearby map needs a connection.
How accurate is it?
It depends on distance, wind and how many birds sing at once. The app shows a percentage and the two closest look-alikes, so you can check with the reference song before you save.
Are my recordings uploaded?
No. Recordings stay on your phone. You can share one with us to improve a match, and the app asks first every time.
Which phones does it run on?
iPhone with iOS 16 or later and Android phones with Android 10 or later. Tablets work too (sample requirements).
Can I cancel Plus?
Yes, at any time in your App Store or Google Play subscriptions. Plus stays on until the end of the period you paid for.
Free on iPhone and Android
Download Songlark, choose your region and go outside. Your first bird starts your list.
iPhone with iOS 16 or later, Android 10 or later. Free, with an optional Plus plan (sample).