{"id":49137,"date":"2025-03-25T15:44:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=49137"},"modified":"2025-03-28T13:22:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T17:22:51","slug":"macaulay-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/macaulay-library\/","title":{"rendered":"A Global Database of Chirps, Whistles, Tweets, and So Much More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lend an ear to the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s Macaulay Library, home to the world\u2019s largest and oldest scientific archive of wildlife sounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Philippines, a streaked fantail warbler sings as it flies off into the sky before returning to its perch. A Colorado prairie dog sends out a yipping alarm to warn its neighbors of danger. In Sri Lanka, more than 20 Asian elephants and their young loudly chomp their food as they forage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are just a tiny sampling of the treasures in the Lab of Ornithology\u2019s Macaulay Library<\/a>\u2014which houses the world\u2019s largest and oldest scientific archive of wildlife sounds, with more than 2.7 million audio recordings (not to mention some 330,000 videos and 72 million images).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Lab of Ornithology<\/figcaption>
Vintage recording equipment on display at the Lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Although the library\u2019s primary focus is birds, it also has media of other animals\u2014lions, frogs, whales, monkeys, seals, elephants, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collection traces its roots to 1929, when Arthur \u201cDoc\u201d Allen 1907, PhD 1911<\/a>\u2014one of the nation\u2019s first professors of ornithology and the Lab\u2019s founder\u2014was approached by someone in the film industry asking if it would be possible to record birdsong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allen\u2019s subsequent recording of three birds\u2014a song sparrow, a house wren, and a rose-breasted grosbeak\u2014in Ithaca\u2019s Stewart Park on an early morning in May 1929 stands as one of the first of its kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Arthur
Rare and Manuscript Collections<\/figcaption>
Researchers in the field in the early 1930s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cA lightbulb went on over Arthur Allen\u2019s head,\u201d says Mike Webster, PhD \u201991<\/a>, a professor of neurobiology and behavior and the library\u2019s director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe had the epiphany that we could use this technology to go around the world and capture the voices and behavior of animals\u2014especially those he thought were on the brink of extinction. So he and his students set off on a mission, and it just grew from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The library remained focused on audio until the early 2000s, when it began accepting video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The library remained focused on audio until the early 2000s, when it began accepting video.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, it vastly expanded its submission pool beyond researchers, conservationists, and other professionals when it partnered with eBird<\/a>, the Lab-run platform that enables the public to share photos, details of sightings, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis really democratized it, and allowed anybody to upload recordings and photos,\u201d Webster says, noting that more than half a million audio recordings were uploaded in 2024 alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome people still use professional audio gear, but others are getting really good at recording with an iPhone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"some
Lab of Ornithology<\/figcaption>
In the mid-20th century, some of the Lab\u2019s bird recordings were released on LP.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In April 2021, the library marked its millionth audio recording<\/a>\u2014the song of a blue-headed vireo in New Hampshire\u2014a figure that has since more than doubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the decades, the library has become not only a vast database, but a vital resource for researchers\u2014offering a trove of information on species, habitats, and behavior, including changes over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some people still use professional audio gear, but others are getting really good at recording with an iPhone.<\/p>\nDirector Mike Webster, PhD \u201991<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Webster estimates that each year, 50\u2013100 research papers\u2014on such subjects as ecology, evolution, taxonomy, biology, and even aerospace engineering\u2014cite the library as a resource. But he emphasizes that it has broad appeal beyond academia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnybody who\u2019s interested in birds and nature can listen to the sounds on our website,\u201d he says, \u201cand get connected to the world around them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now \u2026 feast your ears on a small sampling of the Macaulay Library\u2019s recordings (some accompanied by photos from its trove of images)!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s note: All audio is courtesy of the Macaulay Library, with credit attributed to the submitting recorder.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Cody Matheson \/ Macaulay Library | Audio: Julia Plummer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n