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Wildlife Acoustics press release June 8, 2005
CONCORD, MA - June 8, 2005 - A new high-tech tool for birders is the first product that automatically identifies birds from their songs.
With the Song Sleuth from Wildlife Acoustics, users simply point the device in the direction of a singing bird. In seconds, the software analyzes, identifies and rank-orders the "prime suspects" and displays the results.
"Song Sleuth is an exciting, fun way for beginners to learn to identify birdsongs because the experience is live and interactive", said Ian Agranat, Wildlife Acoustics president and founder. "It's designed to introduce more people to the magic of birdsong and enhance their appreciation of nature."
Song Sleuth combines state-of-the-art digital signal processing and directional microphone technologies with birdsong recordings from the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
According to Agranat, the patent-pending algorithms identify birds with 80 to 90 percent accuracy under optimum conditions. "Considering the daunting challenges involved, Song Sleuth's performance is remarkable", Agranat noted. "A major challenge was the incredible range of individual and regional variations in vocalizations, even in a single species. Add to that the difficulty of acquiring a good signal from a single bird, often at a distance and in the presence of background noise, and Song Sleuth's accuracy looks even more impressive."
The authentic, high-quality birdsong recordings included in the software make learning birdsongs faster and easier. A user in the field can play back a song heard and immediately compare it with the authentic recording to confirm Song Sleuth's results.
Wildlife Acoustics presently offers software modules for 14 different regions in the continental United States. Each module contains the songs of some 60 birds common to the region and is based on more than 500 individual birdsong recordings. The company plans to introduce additional modules for other regions, habitats and specific species worldwide. "We'll also offer updates as we continue to improve the accuracy and functionality of our software", Agranat said.
Song Sleuth is available for $489.95 and includes one software module of the customer's choice. Additional modules are $24.95.
Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. is a privately-held Massachusetts corporation specializing in the development of high-tech products for birdwatchers, naturalists and researchers. Complete information is available at http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wildlife Acoustics and Song Sleuth are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Song Scope, Song Meter and Digital Birdsong Detective are trademarks of Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple and Mac OS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Patents pending.