I’d like to hear the sounds of various birds in order to find one type/name. I have no idea how I’d browse such a database–it probably would be geographical, for starters–but I’d cross that bridge when I come to it.
If the files had no other media I could cross-reference them with any reputable photo guide.
There is this bird outside my bedroom window which wakes me up every morning at 5:00 AM and I’d like to murder it. Or at least know what it is so I can curse it properly.
Thanks,
Leo
Well, field guides of bird songs do exist — here’s one, here’s another. These essentially consist of a CD of bird calls that, if you were so inclined, you could listen to.
I’m not sure that there’s a freely available database of this type online, though. All About Birds has sound samples for most species, but they’re not concatenated like you’re describing.
IIRC Cornell University has a database of birdcalls.
I came to mention the Cornell lab.
Here is the link: Bird ID Skills: How to Learn Bird Songs and Calls | All About Birds All About Birds
The Macaulay Library at Cornellis far more comprehensive than All About Birds, and searches can be narrowed by region.
Best resource available for calls. Simply awesome.
I believe it’s also subscription-only, but I could be wrong about that. Both websites are run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; beyond that, I’m not sure what their relationship to each other is.
All About Birds is a resource for identification of North American Birds. This is probably best for the OP’s needs. The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds is a much more extensive collection of recordings of all kinds of animals, although it is mostly birds. It includes species from around the world. You can listen to most calls on line for free, but if you actually want a copy I believe you have to pay.
Xeno-canto is a free collection of recordings uploaded mostly by birders and some professional ornithologists. It is mostly concentrated on the tropics, but includes recordings from other areas as well. It’s a great resource and I use it all the time.
The annoying bird singing outside the window at 5 AM is probably a Mockingbird.
Upon further reflection & investigation, it appears I was thinking of the Birds of North America website, which is also run by the Cornell Lab, is also focused on North American birds, but is significantly more detailed than All About Birds and requires a subscription.
www.rspb.org.uk › Birds and wildlife › Bird guide › Birds by name
On this Royal Society for the Protection of Birds site [RSPB] each bird is listed alphabetically and each page contains a recording of the bird’s song.