In a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, AI was trained to classify bird sounds with increasing accuracy. The results of the study have been used, among others, in the Muuttolintujen kevät (Spring of Migratory Birds) mobile application, which has become a substantial platform for collecting bird recordings.

In his doctoral thesis, doctoral researcher Patrik Lauha demonstrates that bird sound classification models can be improved by adapting them to specific monitoring contexts.

“My aim was to improve the existing bird sound classification models and to tailor methods for sound data that have been collected through automated methods,” says Lauha.

Users of the app can record bird sounds and obtain AI-provided species classifications for their recordings. The data collected through the app complements traditional bird monitoring in Finland, thereby opening up new research initiatives. The recordings can be used to investigate, among others, bird populations, migratory behaviour and singing activity.