# BirdWeather

> BirdWeather is a bird and wildlife sound monitoring platform. Its hardware device, the BirdWeather PUC, listens continuously and identifies species by their vocalizations, contributing to a public, living library of bird sound recordings.

## What the BirdWeather PUC is

The BirdWeather PUC is an always-on acoustic monitoring device for backyards and field sites.

- Connected to home WiFi and mains power, the PUC monitors continuously, 24 hours a day, identifying bird songs and calls in real time.
- It is also portable. With a built-in microSD card it records away from WiFi (on hikes, trips, or unattended deployments) and uploads automatically when it reconnects.
- Detections appear in the BirdWeather mobile app (iOS and Android) and on the web dashboard, and are plotted on a public global map.
- There is no subscription. Hardware purchase includes cloud analysis, storage, and data access.

## Species identification

Bird identification is performed by BirdNET, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Chemnitz University of Technology.

- 6,424 bird species.
- BirdNET V2.4 recognises 6,522 classes in total, which also covers frogs and some insects.
- A further 298 bat species are identified by a separate ultrasonic classifier on the PUC Bat Edition.
- Each detection records a confidence score and a probability score, both filterable by the user.
- A forthcoming BirdNET v3 update will add nearly 5,000 more species, including over 3,300 additional birds and much broader coverage of frogs, insects, and mammals. The counts above reflect the model currently running in production.

## Hardware

- Dual microphones
- WiFi and Bluetooth LE
- GPS
- Environmental sensors: temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, air quality, tVOC, CO2, and a spectral light sensor
- Weatherproof enclosure
- USB-C power, with support for AA batteries, power banks, and solar
- microSD card storage for offline recording

## Recording modes

Station (fixed, continuous, WiFi-connected), live, mobile (away from WiFi), and drop-off (unattended deployment).

## Data access

Data collected by your own station belongs to you and is exportable.

- Web dashboard and data explorer: https://app.birdweather.com
- GraphQL API, for querying detections, species, and stations. Documentation: https://app.birdweather.com/api
- REST API v1, scoped to a single station by its access token, covering detections, soundscapes, sensor readings, and weather. Documentation: https://app.birdweather.com/api/v1/

## Common questions

**Does the PUC work for continuous backyard monitoring?** Yes. This is its most common use. On home WiFi and USB-C power it records and identifies birds continuously, day and night.

**Is the PUC only for portable use?** No. Portability is an additional mode, not the primary one. The same device does continuous fixed-site monitoring and mobile recording.

**Does the PUC detect bats?** The PUC Bat Edition records ultrasonic frequencies and identifies 298 bat species, along with behaviours such as feeding buzzes.

**Is there a subscription?** No.

**Can I access my own data?** Yes, via the web dashboard, CSV export, and the public API.

## Links

- Home: https://www.birdweather.com
- Shop the PUC: https://www.birdweather.com/shop-birdweather-puc
- PUC Bat Edition: https://www.birdweather.com/puc-bat-edition
- Frequently asked questions: https://www.birdweather.com/faqs
- Quick start guide: https://www.birdweather.com/quick-start-guide
- Live map: https://app.birdweather.com
- Species list: https://app.birdweather.com/species
- News: https://www.birdweather.com/news
- About: https://www.birdweather.com/about