Online Resources for Identifying Birdsong
Birdsong Archives
eNature Bird Song Library : This newly updated site by the National Wildlife Federation has fact sheets, songs, and calls of nearly 500 California birds. You can search by zip code (ZipGuides) to find birds and other critters in your region.
Bird Songs (WAV files) -- U. S. Geological Survey
Macauley Library of Animal Behavior : This site has a wonderful collection
of sounds and videos of a large number of animals, including birds.
There is a free, downloadable program (RavenViewer) for visualizing the sounds
found on the site.
While the full Macauley Library of bird sounds requires a hefty subscription, this
free, public library of sounds and videos includes many birds and is fascinating to browse.
Suthers Lab -- Multimedia Animations of the Syrinx
Useful Page of Links to Birdsongs and Birding -- Tony Phillips, SUNY
Birdsong Mnemonics for Identification
Guide to Identifying Birds in California's Central Coast
Birdsong Mnemonics -- organized by bird and by sound
Bird Identification
Birds in Forested Landscapes (Cornell University)
Birdsong and Music
Birdsong has inspired music of virtually every genre. For a quick introduction, see the Wikipedia Bird Vocalization sub-entry on Bird Song and Music.For a fascinating contemporary example, see jazz vocalist and birdsong lover Susan Krebs' new project Jazz Aviary.
Bird Sound Imaging Software
For a good introduction to why imaging bird songs can be so fascinating (and useful for learning to hear birdsong), see: The Oldest Music (Audubon). Donald Kroodsma makes excellent use of sonograms in his book, The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong.
Raven Lite -- This program, available free for either Mac or Windows, provides an excellent way to visualize birdsong and other sounds. For professionals, the full Raven program is available for purchase.
To learn more about Raven Lite from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, or to download the software, visit their website: Raven Lite.
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