A new high-tech tool for birders automatically identifies birds from their songs.
With the Song Sleuth from Wildlife Acoustics, users point the device in the direction of a singing bird. In seconds, the software analyzes, identifies, and rank-orders the suspects and displays the results.
"Song Sleuth is an exciting, fun way for beginners to learn to identify birdsongs because the experience is live and interactive," said Ian Agranat of Wildlife Acoustics. "It is designed to introduce more people to the magic of birdsong and enhance their appreciation of nature."
Song Sleuth combines state-of-the-art digital signal processing and directional microphone technologies with birdsong recordings from Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The algorithms identify birds with 80 to 90 percent accuracy under optimum conditions.
The high-quality birdsong recordings included in the software make learning birdsongs faster and easier. A user in the field can play back a song heard and immediately compare it with the authentic recording to confirm Song Sleuth's results.
Wildlife Acoustics presently offers software modules for fourteen different regions in the continental United States. Each module contains the songs of some sixty birds common to the region and is based on more than five hundred individual birdsong recordings. The company plans to introduce additional modules for other regions, habitats and specific species worldwide. "We'll also offer updates as we continue to improve the accuracy and functionality of our software," Agranat said.
Song Sleuth is available for $489.95 and includes one software module of the customer's choice. Additional modules are $24.95.
Wildlife Acoustics develops high-tech products for birdwatchers, naturalists, and researchers.