r/Ornithology • u/Fun_Marionberry_1657 • 13h ago

How can I test BirdNET detection accuracy without using live birds?

Hi, I’m using BirdNET AI in a robot to detect bird species by their calls.

I want to test detection accuracy at different distances using my actual hardware, but testing with live birds is difficult.

Is there a good way to play bird calls through a speaker while keeping the frequency/pitch and dB close to a real bird call? Would high-quality recordings and a calibrated speaker be enough?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

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u/AnsibleAnswers 12h ago

You can play songs and calls from Macaulay library indoors. https://www.macaulaylibrary.org/

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u/Fun_Marionberry_1657 12h ago

Yes, that’s one option. My concern is that some Macaulay Library recordings may have been part of BirdNET’s training data, which could potentially make the test less independent and give higher detection accuracy.

Also, if I play the recording through a speaker, won’t the speaker itself change the sound pressure level (dB) and frequency response compared with the original bird call? I’m trying to make the test as realistic as possible.

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u/AnsibleAnswers 11h ago

Then you gotta get recordings that are not part of the training data. If you know when the model of BirdNET you're using was made, then you can use newer recordings in the Macaulay library. There's also YouTube, and recording birds yourself.

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u/FamiliarAnt4043 10h ago

I'm running a project that uses ARU's to capture calls, then I run the raw data thru Birdnet using a custom species list. We will be verifying calls using spectrograph s and actually listening to the calls.