Birding Via Mic

About Birding Via Mic Android App

Warning:
This is a new version of Birding Via Mic. When you install it, you will lose your existing songs, lists, options, and definitions. To avoid this loss, backup the folders Define, and Song to the Download folder BEFORE you install this new version.

Birding Via Mic is an android app that identifies birds by their songs. Technically it doesn't differentiate between songs and calls. You can record a bird singing, play the song back, edit the recording, and (hopefully) identify the bird. You can download songs and the web screen gives you a few sites that are available. This is not a structured bird song collection. I hope it will become a collection of world class birder's favorite songs. It is a tool that can help you build a bird song collection and help you identify birds.

First, I want to borrow the phrase "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" and modify it to read "A bird recorded locally is worth two on the web." Not only the local bird variations but the microphone you use play a large part in identification. That said, by downloading, and defining the birds the app will be able to recognize many of the birds that you record.

There are NO songs in this app. ZERO. You have to record them or load them from another app and define them. There are currently four other apps that are associated with this app: Birding Via Mic New World, ... Old World, ... Orient Australasia. The songs were selected by the recordists as their favorites (at my request) and ... North American Common (the songs were selected by me.) These apps contain songs for their respective region (called YourRegion below) but no functionality other than supply this app with the songs they contain. You will need to install one (or more if desired) of these and transfer the songs to this app.

To transfer the songs:
1) Install this Birding Via Mic app.
2) Install Birding Via Mic_YourRegion app and verify Birding Via Mic_YourRegion shows Files:greater than zero
3) In Birding Via Mic_YourRegion tap Songs button and verify a list of songs is displayed
4) In this Birding Via Mic app tap the Path button, select Birding Via Mic -- YourRegion, tap the Load Now button.

Uninstall the Birding Via Mic_YourRegion app to recover memory.

Please follow the American Birding Association code of ethics, by not playing back your songs where the birds can hear them.

This app has three main areas: 1) Database management which allows you to modify, edit and maintain your bird list, 2) Identifying birds from your recordings (given enough data), 3) The songs supplied with this app.

There are some world class birders that have shared their songs: (alphabetically)
david m -- Eurasia, Pacific Ocean, Orient
Ding Li Yong -- Australasia, Eurasia, Orient
Elias A Ryberg -- Eurasia, North, Middle America
Jeremy Minns -- South, Latin America
Marc Anderson -- Australasia, Orient
Niels Krabbe -- South, Latin America, Eurasia, Africa, Australasia, Orient
Paul Marvin -- North, Middle, Latin America, Eurasia
Ted Floyd -- North, Middle, Latin America, Eurasia
These recordings have been converted to play at 22050 sample rate to take up less space. The originals can be downloaded at the original rate. The songs fall under the Creative Commons licenses and allow users to download and distribute recordings under certain conditions specified by the license.

To backup your current system:
In Essentials > File Manager select Android > data > com.modelsw.birdingviamic > files
In the 3 dot menu click Copy
Select the circle in front of both the Define and Song folders
Click Copy at the bottom of the page
Select internal storage > Download
Click OK
The two folders will be copied to the Download folder.

Thank you and Best Birding.