About Us

Recording Workshop photo - recordist in camoflauge

The Macaulay Library is a principal source of sound recordings for basic research, education, conservation, habitat assessment, media, and commercial projects. The collection is strongest in New World species but also has substantial holdings from Africa and Madagascar, Europe, the former Soviet Union, and South East Asia. The Library archives and preserves an exhaustive sampling of the behaviors of each animal species using digital video and audio recordings.

For more than 80 years we have prided ourselves on maintaining and distributing recordings of the highest quality. Our collection of natural sounds includes more than 160,000 recordings, comprising 67 percent of the world's birds, and rapidly increasing holdings of insects, fish, frogs, and mammals. The video collection includes more than 3,000 species and we are rapidly increasing the breadth of our holdings by adding assets filmed in high definition.

Recordings play a key role in learning animal identification as well as for survey work using playback protocols. Our engineers turn raw field recordings into high-quality sounds for our audio field guides. We often engineer sounds for conservation and commercial projects based on regional specifications. In addition to expertise in selecting, engineering, and mastering these recordings, we have significant experience in the technical process involved in making animal vocalizations sound as pure as possible, whether they are on a microchip or a surround sound system.

We sell individual and smaller sets of sounds for many purposes. Our staff carefully assesses the needs of each client based on years of experience working with animal vocalizations. We are familiar with the habits of many species, the equipment it takes to record them, and the characteristics of their vocal patterns.

Our collection is built on the work of many hundreds of recordists, with whom we have agreements as to the use or restriction of their materials. We ensure that all rights, due compensation, or restrictions agreed upon with contributors to the collection are honored.

For audio services, visit our order form where you can search our database for recordings available on our commercial CDs, and request information on a particular species or types of sound.

For video services, please email Mary Guthrie for more information.