Having the ability to identify birds by their calls and songs is an invaluable skill for any birder or nature enthusiast in Australia. With over 800 species of birds found across the country, being able to distinguish between different bird vocalizations can help with identifying species in cases when a visual identification is difficult.
Why Identify Birds by Call
There are several reasons why learning to identify birds by ear can be useful:
- Many birds can be easier to identify by call than by sight. Some birds may be small, camouflaged, or only active at night.
- Calls and songs carry much farther than visual observation, allowing you to detect and identify birds from a greater distance.
- Distinctive vocalizations can help attract birds and determine their presence even when they are hidden in vegetation.
- Understanding bird calls helps improve overall birding skills and appreciation of avian diversity.
Having access to audio recordings and being able to associate vocalizations with visual identifications is key to building skills in identifying birds by ear. Apps that include bird call libraries can be very helpful for this purpose.
Challenges of Identifying Bird Calls
While learning to identify bird vocalizations has many benefits, there are also some challenges:
- Many birds have complex songs and calls that can be difficult to memorize.
- Some species have regional dialects that can vary across different parts of Australia.
- The same species may have different calls depending on the situation (such as breeding vs alarm calls).
- Some groups like seabirds and shorebirds have very similar sounding calls.
- Habitat, weather, background noise and other factors impact how calls sound to the observer.
These difficulties make apps and audio recordings even more valuable for gaining experience with the diversity of bird sounds over time and in different contexts.
Features of a Good Bird Call Identification App
So what features should you look for in a mobile app to help identify bird calls in Australia? Here are some key capabilities:
- Audio recordings – Access to clear recordings of bird vocalizations, indexed by species.
- Spectrograms – Visual representations of the audio frequencies to help distinguish between similar calls.
- Species filtering – Ability to filter by location, habitat, family or other categories to narrow down options.
- Quizzes and games – Interactive way to test identification skills and learn bird sounds.
- Recordings and playback – Option to record birds in the field and compare against reference calls.
- Offline access – Ability to identify calls without an internet connection while in the field.
Additional handy characteristics include the ability to save favorites, add notes, share recordings with others, and access detailed species information. Picking an app with excellent audio quality and a comprehensive library of bird calls for Australia is key.
Top Free Apps for Identifying Bird Calls in Australia
Here are some of the top free mobile apps for identifying bird calls and songs in Australia:
1. Michael Morcombe’s Birds of Australia App
Developed in association with renowned ornithologist Michael Morcombe, this app contains high-quality recordings for over 800 species of Australian birds. It offers quizzes, the ability to record and playback sounds, location filtering, and spectrograms to aid identification. Works offline.
2. BirdNET
BirdNET uses artificial intelligence to identify birds from short recordings. Although originally developed for North America, it contains many common Australian birds. Users can view spectrograms and species details once a recording is identified.
3. VisuaLynx Bird ID Australia
Includes illustrated and audio field guides for over 400 Australian bird species. Lets you record birds, then suggest potential matching species. Also offers quizzes to test your knowledge.
4. Larkwire
Uses games and quizzes to help learn bird songs and calls from Australia and around the world. Ability to slow down and loop recordings. Web and mobile app versions available.
5. ChirpOMatic
Has a collection of common bird call ringtones that play when species specific text phrases are received. Available for both iOS and Android devices. Helps familiarize you with vocalizations.
Tips for Using Bird Call Apps
To get the most out of apps for identifying bird vocalizations, keep these tips in mind:
- Use headphones for better audio quality, especially in noisy environments.
- Learn distinctive elements of each call like tone, pitch, rhythm and number of notes.
- Listen to the same call multiple times from different apps to train your ear.
- Test yourself by trying to identify common backyard birds before less familiar species.
- Pay attention to seasonal variation as calls can change during breeding season.
- Record your own observations and compare to reference recordings to sharpen your skills.
- Start slow by learning family groups with similar vocalizations before individual species.
Conclusion
Identifying bird species by call and song may seem challenging for beginners, but it is an essential skill that any birder or wildlife enthusiast in Australia can develop. Taking advantage of free mobile apps provides invaluable on-the-go recordings, quizzes, and other tools for building experience with bird vocalizations over time. Apps such as Michael Morcombe’s Birds of Australia, BirdNET, VisuaLynx Bird ID Australia, Larkwire, and ChirpOMatic are excellent free options for this purpose. With patience and regular practice, you’ll be fluently recognizing Australia’s amazing diversity of bird sounds in no time.
