Lend An Ear: female bird song

The Female Bird Song Project, run by Odom and collaborators, began recruiting birders to catalog the vocal ranges of female birds in 2017.  Whether females sing remains a mystery in 3,500 songbird species, and for those 660 species known to sing, good recordings are often absent. As audio files have trickled in, about 25 percent uploaded so far are a first, as verified by experts. Recordings will help experts understand the evolutionary forces that pushed both sexes to sing, as well as revise birders’ expectations.

To participate, record video or audio of a female bird’s song and upload your data to the apps eBird or Xeno-Canto with the phrase “Contributed for the Female Bird Song Project: femalebirdsong.org.” Include a description of how you recognized the bird’s sex—sharing a picture can help—and you’re done.”