Raven, pigeon, sparrow… you know them. But what kind of bird is this one? Especially when you’re traveling, it’s often fascinating to know what birds are there.

In the smartphone age, there are wonderful ways to find out with an app. Who’s beeping? After testing several apps, we can recommend the bird call app BirdNET.

Recognize birds with the bird call app

With the BirdNET app, as soon as you hear a bird, you start recording – and you can edit the recording later. Then you let the app analyze the clearest part of the recording. If the species is recognized (which is often the case), you can view details about the bird species.

Bird Calls Recognized Worldwide

The app is a product of the Chemnitz University of Technology and Cornell University in the USA. There are already more than 3,000 bird species that can be identified by song – worldwide.

However, BirdNET’s AI algorithm does not only work with voice recognition but also incorporates location and date. As a result, the program knows which bird species is likely.

Benefits for ornithological research

The app not only serves as a hobby tool for (aspiring) birdwatchers but also for the ornithological research of the participating universities. Data from the more than one million users is collected (anonymously) to gain knowledge about where species live, what migratory routes exist, and how local dialects (yes, there’s such a thing!) are pronounced.

The creators see another benefit in raising people’s awareness of biodiversity and increasing their interest in nature.