Investigation into the human perception of bird calls

Wauwilermoos (Image: Helena Simonett) Sound and music researchers at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts have investigated in an SNSF-funded project how humans perceive bird calls and how humans and birds interact sonically. Their work will be presented in an exhibition at the Lucerne Museum of Nature and at a public conference at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Artist Martina Lussi taking pictures in Wauwilermoos - In Switzerland, 210 bird species breed, in the whole of Europe 500. With their vocal organ, the syrinx, they warble, chirp, whistle and squawk already before daybreak and sometimes until late at night. But how do birds learn their songs? Is birdsong really "music"-what meaning do we humans give to their vocalizations? These and other questions were addressed by an interdisciplinary team of sound researchers and sound specialists from the HSLU as part of the "Seeking Birdscapes" project. To this end, they collaborated with external partners such as the Sempach Ornithological Institute, the BirdLife Lucerne Foundation and the Lucerne Nature Museum. (see box) The project focused on the relationship between humans and their sounding environment, in particular the auditory, acoustic and musical dimensions of soundscapes created by birds (Birdscapes).