Scientists at Work
Researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are studying the
sounds of birds--from basic research on vocal communication to acoustic
monitoring for conservation. To aid in this effort, engineers and
programmers at the Lab are continually developing new tools to record
and analyze sounds from around the world.
Explore the links below to learn more about how the Lab's scientists are at work, using sounds to understand and protect birds.
Monitoring Night Migration
Scientists study sounds from the night sky to learn about millions of migrants passing overhead.
 Sandra Vehrencamp operating the digital recording station at the Costa Rica research site. |
Sounding Out the Dawn Chorus
Taking a new approach with microphone arrays, researchers reveal Banded Wrens communicate in a complex network at dawn.
Listening for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Autonomous recording units help researchers look for a bird that many believed had gone extinct.
Courting the Cahow
Researchers use recordings to attract Bermuda Petrels to a safer haven.
Sounds in Their Suitcases
Recordists join expeditions to Cuba, Hawaii, the Arctic, and other
far-flung places. On the way home, they're carrying recordings of each region's birds for archiving and study at the Lab's Macaulay Library.
 The guts of a “pop-up,” designed by the Lab’s engineers to gather sounds from the ocean autonomously. Photo by Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes/CLO |
Voices for Conservation
Sound recordings are a key tool for monitoring birds in some of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.
From Feathers, a Violin
High-speed video and the physics of sound show how the Club-winged Manakin sings without its voice.
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not...
Robots reveal how bowerbirds communicate during courtship.
Sound Inventions
The Cornell Lab of
Ornithology is at the forefront of technology, developing new
tools and techniques to understand wildlife.