Tech-savvy birders are probably already familiar with digital field guides. Loaded onto smart phones and tablets, these tools put a wealth of information at your fingertips, with features including range maps, illustrations, and birdsong applications.
Used correctly, digital field guides help birders identify species of interest. Unfortunately, an increasing number of eager birders are using birdsong apps to draw birds out of hiding. And many are unaware of the threats this can pose if not done judiciously.
Birds sing to communicate. Their calls contain important, often complex, messages. A male may mistake a recorded birdsong for a rival that is threatening his territory. And he may expend energy and stress trying to establish his dominance.
Sure, this can result in a bird sighting, but it can also have unforeseen consequences. Research has shown some female birds abandon their mates when they fail to drive away competitors – which appears to be the case if a birdsong app is played for too long.
The use of recordings to summon birds isn’t new – people have done it for years with cassettes. But with the proliferation of smart phones, it is becoming more common. And there is concern that overuse of birdsong apps will make birds vulnerable to predators, and distracted them from essential tasks, like rearing their young.
Birdsong apps have already been banned in our national parks and many other protected natural areas. Where they are permitted, birders should heed the American Birding Association’s advice and forgo using them to attract species that are threatened, endangered, or rare.
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Web Links
The Ethical Flap Over Birdsong Apps
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/130614-bird-watching-birdsong-smartphone-app-ethics/
Warning against using bird apps on nature reserves
http://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/bird-apps-warning
Photo, taken on May 12, 2010, courtesy of Noel Reynolds via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.