In Kenya, researchers from the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Centre (DSAIL) at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) are attempting to capture these bird songs using bioacoustic devices.
These devices are equipped with sensitive microphones designed to listen to the forest and monitor the health of the ecosystem. They record bird songs, which are stored on an integrated memory card. The device is programmed to record from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"We expect to hear many birdsongs in the morning and early evening, when temperatures are milder. Our device is therefore designed to operate during those hours," explains Jason Njoroge, a junior researcher at the Dedan Kimathi University Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
The research project aims to use this data to identify species and track changes over time as part of conservation efforts. Acoustic activity is recorded for a duration of ten seconds.
Within this small window, a multitude of sounds can be captured: birdsong, rustling leaves, the buzzing of insects, or even the passage of vehicles and airplanes. "As soon as an acoustic event is detected, the microphone picks it up and an LED lights up. When it goes out, it indicates that the acoustic activity has ended, but that the recording has been captured and stored in the device," adds Njoroge.
The device is solar-powered and equipped with an integrated battery. The audio recordings are then transformed into spectrograms and analyzed by an artificial intelligence model capable of identifying the bird species present in the recording.
David Warutumo, a research intern at the Dedan Kimathi University Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, explains: “We submit our data to the model we have developed, and this allows us to know which species are present. Then, we can deduce the health of our ecosystems.”
The presence or absence of certain indicator species can provide valuable information about the health of a forest ecosystem, thus guiding conservation efforts. Birds, through their vocalizations, habitat requirements, and sensitivity to environmental changes, are a good indicator of forest health.
Faced with current trends in human activity and urbanization, some vulnerable bird species could see their habitats shrink by 20 to 30 percent in the next decade, while species already at risk of extinction could be on the verge of disappearing, according to Samuel Guchu, an ornithologist with the Kenya Bird Map project at the National Museum of Kenya. This citizen science project aims to map the current distribution of bird species in Kenya.
“Birds can fly. When a place is not suitable for breeding, feeding, or even occupying a territory, they take flight. And they generally leave faster than most other animal groups because of their ability to fly and their distribution across the territory. Thus, the presence or absence of particular species within a forest ecosystem can be an excellent measure for judging the health of that ecosystem,” explains Guchu.
Projects like the Kenya Bird Map allow scientists to understand the impact of habitat changes by analyzing the evolution of bird populations over time, identifying where birds migrate, and studying how these changes influence species.
