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Cornell Guides to Bird Sounds
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Birds
The earth hosts approximately 10,000 species of
birds,
75% of which are represented in this archive. From your common feeder birds, including jays, chickadees and sparrows to the exotic birds-of-paradise, toucans and flamingos you can browse families and explore their diversity. You’ll discover some exceptions in the bird world, such as penguins and emus that are unable to fly, however, all birds have feathers and lay eggs, even if they are not masters of flight.
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Mammals
About 5,500 species of
mammals
roam the earth today. They are an incredibly diverse group from whales and dolphins, to bats, big cats, shrews and elephants. One trait they all have in common—hair. Listen to the astounding vocalizations of the nearly 70 marine mammal species in the archive or watch Polar Bears hunt in the high arctic. Explore recordings for the more than 600 mammal species in the archive!
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Reptiles
Despite being among the very first animals to travel this earth,
reptiles
are still very successful today. With nearly 8,200 species described these scaly, cold-blooded creatures survive in some of the toughest climates on earth. Like birds, most species lay eggs, but many snakes and lizards give birth to live young. Check out some videos of a Galapagos Tortoise or listen to an American Alligator!
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Amphibians
Frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, and snake-like caecilians comprise the diverse class,
Amphibia.
Many species begin their life as aquatic juveniles and transform into terrestrial adults. Amphibians are of particular conservation concern. Of the ~6,300 amphibians, one in three are threatened with extinction. Take a listen to any of the nearly 200 species in the archive!
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Arthropods
Invertebrates with an exoskeleton, segmented body and jointed appendages are classified as
arthropods.
This includes insects, centipedes and millipedes, and crustaceans—shrimp, lobsters and crabs. Take a listen to the Snowy Tree-Cricket that varies how fast it delivers each note depending on the temperature.
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Fishes
This group takes the prize as the most diverse group of vertebrates, with nearly 32,000 species represented.
Fish
were the first vertebrates to radiate the earth, dating back 500 million years. The group includes the bony fish, sharks and rays, lungfish and coelacanths, hagfish, and lampreys. Watch videos of a Whale Shark feeding or hear what a squirrelfish sounds like!
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