Tutorial Sections
Recording
Locate-song
Matching
Editing
History
Bird Catalog
Settings
Field Tips
Recording
Handling the Phone
For the best recordings, aim the built-in microphone at the bottom of the phone towards the bird. The mic is very sensitive, so be sure to stay still and not make any noise while recording. For more tips, see "Field Tips" in this help section. Prerecord
It can be difficult to predict when a bird will start singing. BirdGenie's 1.5-second pre-record loop lets you wait to start your recording until the bird sings without missing the beginning of the song. Record
Once you hear a bird start to sing, tap anywhere on the screen to start the recording. Tap again when the song stops. Recordings don’t have to be long, so long as you capture a complete phrase of the song. Adjust Levels
The level tray is at the bottom of the screen – open it and you can adjust the volume of the recording. For distant sounds, increase the levels to make them louder. For very loud, close sounds, decrease the levels to avoid distortion, which is indicated by red in the display. For most songs, the levels can remain at their default. Saving
Each recording is automatically saved to your history, which can be accessed through the menu tray at the upper left corner of the screen.
Locate Song
After recording, BirdGenie asks that you crop the recording to the song only. This is an important part of getting good results, and should not be skipped. Editing the Recording
Drag the red sliders to highlight only the song you’d like to match. The song is usually a dark cluster of marks on the sonogram. If you’re not sure where it is, pressing the play icon will play back the section of the song you’ve selected. Keep adjusting until you have the song isolated. This is also a good way to remove other bird songs or background noise that may have been before or after the bird you recorded. Adjusting the Sonogram Display
Tap the adjustment icon to bring up controls that adjust the sonogram display to make the image of the song easier-to-see. Resolution Adjustment
If the image of the song is a bit blurry, adjusting the resolution may help. Contrast
Allows you to hide some of the recording’s background noise, making the song easier to see. Brightness Control
Adjusting brightness can make the sonogram of the target song brighter and easier-to-see. Reset
Resets the start and end sliders. This is only available once a slider has been adjusted. Match
Once you’re satisfied with your selection, press the Match button to get results. Horizontal Display
Turn your phone horizontally and the display will automatically fill the screen, making it easier to edit the song.
Matching
The match screens displays BirdGenie’s best guess at the song in your recording. Matches
BirdGenie will show you anywhere from one to six matches, which you can scroll through. Each match has a play button next to it so you can hear its song. Your recording also has a play button for comparison. No Match
If a recording is too noisy, too faint, if there are multiple birds singing at the same time, or if the bird is not in BirdGenie’s database, then BirdGenie may not find a match. Editing or re-recording may help, and sharing the recording with BirdGenie helps us improve the program for the future. Improving Success Rates
See the Field Tips section on how to improve your recordings. In general you want the song to be as clear and loud as possible, with little background noise or other birdsong. More Info
Tapping on a result will show you a species page with more songs, text about the bird, and photos that may be swiped through or tapped to enlarge. Some species have a 3D symbol at the top right. Tap this icon to see a rotatable 3D model of the bird, which can be positioned to match the way you are seeing the bird in the field. There is also a web link at the bottom of each species page that will take you to Cornell’s "All About Birds" web site for more in-depth information. Editing, Sharing and Deleting
Tap the bottom left icon to edit, middle icon to share, or the right-hand icon to delete your current recording. Return to Recording
The top left arrow returns you to the record screen.
Editing
Editing lets you name a song, add notes, and re-adjust the crop lines of the recording. Editing the Recording
Drag the start and end sliders to highlight only the song you'd like to match. Pressing the play icon will play back the selection. Adjusting the Sonogram Display
Tap the adjustment icon to bring up controls that adjust the sonogram display to make the image of the song easier-to-see. Resolution Adjustment
If the image of the song is a bit blurry, adjusting the resolution may help. Contrast
Allows you to hide some of the recording’s background noise, making the song easier to see. Brightness Control
Adjusting brightness can make the sonogram of the target song brighter and easier-to-see. Reset
Resets the start and end sliders. This is only available once a slider has been adjusted. Match
Once you’re satisfied with your selection, press the Match button to get results. Horizontal Display
Turn your phone horizontally and the display will automatically fill the screen, making it easier to edit the song. Match
If you have re-edited a recordings crop line, Match runs the matching process again to identify the newly adjusted song. This is only available once a slider has been adjusted.
History
Recordings are automatically stored in History as they are made. Here they can be played, edited, shared and deleted. Sorting
Recordings may be sorted by date or name in the upper right corner of the screen. Tapping one of these icons twice will reverse the sort order. Menu
The menu tray is available in the upper left corner of the screen. Use this to record a bird, view the catalog and to access other BirdGenie functions. Playback
Each recording has a Play icon which may be tapped at any time to play back the recording. Sharing and Deleting
Swipe left on any recording to access the options to share or delete it. Sharing lets you Email a song to a friend or share it on social media. You can also send the song to BirdGenie, which helps improve the BirdGenie engine, and also gives scientists the opportunity to sample a variety of songs from all over the country, and improve our general knowledge of bird song. Your personal information will never be used for any reason.
Bird Catalog
All the birds in the database are collected here for you to browse and study. Sorting
The species can be sorted alphabetically or taxonomically in the upper right corner of the screen. Viewing
Tap a species to see the detailed species account for that bird. 3D View
For some species there is a 3D icon in the upper right that allows you to view a rotatable 3D model of that species. You can pinch-zoom these models to see more details to help you identify a bird, and you can also rotate the image to match the way you are seeing the bird in the field. Additional 3D models may be available soon. Songs
Each species account contains several song types for that species - just tap the drop-down menu by the sonogram to choose the song you’d like to play, and then tap the play icon to hear it. Accounts
Scroll down to see the species account, with useful notes on each bird. Links
At the bottom of the account is a web link to Cornell's "All About Birds" site with more detailed information.
Settings
Sharing
Enabling sharing can help researchers build databases of song. It also helps improve the engine. Use GPS Location
Does as it says, and can be useful in filtering out species by geographic location.
Field Tips
Good recordings give BirdGenie the best chance to identify a bird. Noise
It’s important to be away of noises other than the bird song. Air conditioners, car engines, road noise and other common sounds can make it hard for BirdGenie to find a song in a recording. Try and move away from these background noises when possible. If not, use the Locate Song screen to crop out unwanted noises. Volume
Move as close to a bird as possible, without disturbing it, before recording. Use the levels control to turn up the recording volume when necessary. Even holding the microphone out so that it is closer to the bird will help. But remember to keep your arm still once the recording starts! Wind
Wind noise can distort a recording. Try turning your back to the wind, or putting a hand next to the microphone to block wind sounds. Multiple Birds
BirdGenie has a hard time distinguishing multiple birds singing at the same time. Try and isolate the bird you want to identify, and use the Edit tool to show BirdGenie exactly which song you want to identify. If two birds are singing at the same time, it’s important to wait until the target bird sings by itself. Flocks of Birds
Some species, like crows, Blue Jays, and others, often sing in groups. BirdGenie will have a better chance identifying the song if there is only one bird singing, although we are working on identification processes for flocks of birds. Movement
Try not to speak or move when making your recording. Footsteps, voices, and body movement will all get picked up by the microphone and will make it difficult for BirdGenie to match the song. Share It!
Sharing the recordings and the matched species with friends can be fun and help make them aware of birds that may be in their yards or parks. If you have a recording that BirdGenie can’t identify, share it with BirdGenie for analysis. BirdGenie covers dozens of species and often includes two or more vocalization types for each. However, it will help us improve BirdGenie if we can find out what species and vocalization types users are finding across the country. The easiest way to do this is to choose “Auto-Submit” in the Settings. AutoSubmit
By automatically sharing your recordings with BirdGenie, you’ll not only be helping us to improve our identifications, but also giving scientists the opportunity to sample a variety of songs from all over the country, and improve our knowledge of bird song. Your personal information will never be used for any reason. 