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AvianActs: Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) in the field of bioacoustics is a non-intrusive method for gaining insight into aquatic and terrestrial life. Applications include species distributions and impact of climate change on the populations of endangered species.

Bird watchers often identify species by listening to their vocalizations. Our attempt is to identify individuals of a bird species from their unique song patterns and to learn more about their behaviors and movements without capturing and banding. We are leveraging software tools developed for PAM for detailed song analysis and identification.





In 2023, we recorded the time at which each bird species initiated singing in the Home 'patch' at daybreak and found that some species were well tuned to sunrise throughout the breeding season. For an overview
For an overview " Dawn Chorus_overview"
Read more "Dawn Chorus: Mar.-Sept.,2023"
In 2024, we started listening in January to study when birds begin singing at dawn.
Read more "Dawn Chorus 2024: The Beginning"


Can we definitely identify a Wood Thrush from his repertoire? We applied the methodology developed by us to the Wood Thrushes singing in the Home 'patch' in the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
Read more on "Identifying Wood Thrushes by their Repertoires"


Northern Cardinals are common in the eastern USA and their songs are heard all spring and summer. His slurred whistles are produced by switching from one syrinx to the other, using his two voice boxes unique to some birds. We recorded a young Cardinal learning to sing in early spring and analyzed his progress.
Read more on "A Northern Cardinal Learning to Sing"