Image by nixam via FlickrWouldn't it be cool if you could use something like Shazam to identify bird songs out in the wild. Doing a quick Google search, I found a few websites with mp3s of bird songs, for example xeno-canto. Shazam might already work with bird songs but I wouldn't know because I don't have an iPhone. I would get one though if I could use as a bird song identification tool.UPDATE 30/07/2010.
I've found a few interesting posts and comments on this topic:
http://originalprojects.com/projects/shazam-for-birds
The comment by the user 'nature' is interesting http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/09/this-iphone-app-is-truly-for-the-birds/
An education app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chirp-bird-songs-usa-lite-v3/id352826689?mt=8
UPDATE 05/05/2011
This blog posts explains in a neat way how Shazam works:
23 comments:
ha! It's funny... I just found this website posting as a result of my doing a google search for "iphone app bird song identify".
Shazam for bird songs is exactly what I'm looking (hoping) for.
It would be excellent if it would work. I read a bit more about Shazam on a few blogs and it still has difficulties identifying pop songs (etc...) when the volume is low or there is background noise, that would obviously be a problem in the wild. I wonder whether Shazam could be convinced to add bird song tracks to their database?
I am looking for the same app... :)
Hmmm, great minds think alike. I was surprised this doesn't already exist.
So, did anyone find this app? I was just wondering today if this existed! It would be so cool to just hold up my iphone and be able to find out what bird it is :)
Unfortunately I still haven't found such an app. Shazam doesn't work great for music when there is background noise or at a distance from the source so I imagine with bird songs in the wild, it would probably not do very well either. Still, if someone designed an app specifically for the purpose of identifying bird songs, I think it could be quite successful given the number of hits I am getting for iphone + bird + song.
had this idea yesterday and glad to see that others have also thought about it... it would be a great app!
had this idea yesterday and glad to see that others have also thought about it... it would be a great app!
Yes that'd be awesome. That's exactly what I'm looking for!! :)
I'm looking for the same thing! I hope a few app folks are reading these posts. Someone has to come up with this...I wish I knew how Shazam works...maybe one of you knows a computer programmer who can lend a hand...?
Yes! I was on a hike this afternoon and heard some unusual bird songs. I thought to myself, I'll bet there's an app for this. If I find one, I'll post the details here.
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I've been hoping to find the same type of app. I'm glad I'm not alone. I can see that there would be a problem with unclear sounds, but so often I hear one clear and distinctive song of a bird high in a tree top that I can't identify by sight. It would have to be something stronger than Shazam, but doesn't seem like an impossibility.
I've been looking for this too. I agree that background noise could be a problem, but I often hear a clear and distinctive bird song from high in a tree where the bird isn't visible. It would have to be stronger than Shazam, but doesn't seem like an impossibility. Wouldn't it be great?
B
The matching function of Shazam doesn't work well with classical music because there are so many recordings of each piece. It would be the same trouble with birdsongs -- each bird would be a bit different, making a match impossible.
The matching function of Shazam doesn't work well with classical music because there are so many recordings of each piece. It would be the same trouble with birdsongs -- each bird would be a bit different, making a match impossible.
So did you get that MSc student?
Unfortunately not this year. Perhaps it was too big a challenge for an MSc
student.
me too! Sitting in bed on Sunday morning with door open listening to the happiest birds in conversation just outside my patio. Wondering what if I could Shazam them?
So how does a person create this application? Or do we make the suggestion to Droid and Apple?
Add me, as a nature-lover whose stuck with a droid, to the list of folks looking for this sort of bird identification app. Also, I wish the Smithsonian would come out with a droid version of LeafSnap - their amazing leaf identifier for iphone.
Here's the app, due for release in Spring 2012 I believe: WeBIRD
http://www.news.wisc.edu/19882
One more person who had the idea, googled it - and found this!! Wish I could identify birds by their song - and an app would be brilliant
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