> but what data will it use for actual translation?

I'm no ornithologist, for forgive my ignorance, but shouldn't there be bunch of papers out there where researchers try to infer the meaning of various sounds birds produce, together with a description of the sound and even samples of it? I don't know how numerous that could be, but could maybe be used as a starting point at least.

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ileonichwiesz 3 days ago | parent [-]

There are large datasets of bird sounds (eBird, Cornell Labs, etc), but the descriptions are usually limited to the species, location, and something like “mating call” or “contact call”. Hugely useful for building models that can recognise birds by call (apps like that already exist, I recommend Merlin Bird ID), but definitely not enough for something approaching actual translation.

FWIW there’s no research to indicate that the sounds birds make are what we’d call language. They’re avid communicators, and some species are known to be highly intelligent, but of course it’s not like “caw” means “to fly” and “craah” is “forward”.

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cluckindan 2 days ago | parent [-]

I’ve been winter feeding the local birds for a couple years now, and especially the great tits acknowledge my presence via a special call I haven’t heard anywhere else. It’s distinct from the calls they use when they find food otherwise. Bird ID applications consistently fail to recognize the species based on that call.

There are stationary feeders in the neighborhood, but the birds don’t seem to associate the humans filling them with their food, and subsequently just use warning calls when they see humans approaching the feeders.

But whenever they see me, even in the summer, they use that call. Blue tits have their own, shorter variation of it.

I like to think they’ve given me a name in their language :-)

	▲	diggan 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		> I like to think they’ve given me a name in their language :-) Probably best for everyone involved to not understand the meaning of the name they gave you too! :)