There are now a multitude of apps available to assist ecologists in the field. In the third of Inside Ecology’s App Roundup series, we focus on bird song recognition…
Bird Song Id Automatic Recognition & Reference – Birds of the British Isles By Mullen & Pohland GbR (iphone, iPad & iPod touch) / Bird Song Id: Auto Recognition By Sunbird Images (Android)
Record a bird singing and use Automatic Recognition to help identify it. Automatic Recognition takes place on the device, no connection to the internet or mobile network is needed.
Automatic Recognition will help identify a good cross section of bird song in the British Isles, but you will need a good quality recording. Help and examples are included in the app to guide you.
The developer’s aim is to get the correct bird in the top three of those listed. In their testing of over 1,000 samples they found the success rate to be 85%.
Compatible with Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
ChirpOMatic UK, Automatic Bird Song Recognition v2 By Spiny Software Ltd
Using ChirpOMatic, record a bird singing and use the apps’ Automatic Recognition to identify it. The app can work wherever you are – if you don’t have internet or a mobile connection then the app analyses the sound on the device. And a special Bird-Safe mode means that the app can be used in nature reserves without the risk of disturbing birds.
The app works rather like Shazam® does for music. When you hear a bird, quickly hold up your phone and start recording. The app analyses the sound, and shows you the top matches. You can compare your recording with the reference samples to check the identification.
All your recordings are stored on your phone so you can listen to them again or share them with friends. You can help the developers improve the app by sending the sound to them. The best recordings are posted (with your permission) on the Xenocanto website, the world-wide resource for bird and bird sound research.
Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Warblr: Identify UK bird songs and calls By Warblr
Warblr is an app that automatically recognises birds by their song. Make a recording with your smartphone, and Warblr will identify the species of bird/s that can be found in that recording, providing you with images and descriptions to help you learn more about our feathered friends.
In using Warblr, you will be contributing to a citizen science project. The developers will be making the recordings and the data collected on species identification freely available to be used for research and conservation.
Warblr can recognise over 220 species of British bird, and works particularly well for garden and woodland species. Their technology uses the latest techniques in machine learning, and is supported by Queen Mary University of London.
Compatible with Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
BirdUp – birdsong recognition By Jon Burn
BirdUp instantly identifies birds by their songs or calls. The developers state that the app recognises all common birds found in gardens, parks and woodlands in the UK.
BirdUp works offline, so requires no wi-fi or mobile phone signal. There is a 30-day free trial version. If you like it and want to continue using it after that you can upgrade to the premium version from within the app.
Compatible with Android.
What has your experience been of using these apps in the field? Do you use any other bird song recognition apps not listed above? Let us know in the comments box.
