The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world’s premier scientific archive of wildlife audio, video, and photographs, with roots stretching back to the first bird song recordings in 1929.

As a source for science based information and resources about vocalization across all species, the NCVS strives to highlight databases such as the Macaulay Library. The direct link can be found here:

The primary content of the Macaulay Library includes millions of audio recordings of animal vocalizations, especially bird vocalizations, plus extensive photo and video archives spanning birds, amphibians, mammals, fish, and insects. Each recording is accompanied by detailed information such as species ID, behavior context, recording equipment, spectrograms, and the date, time and location of the recording. This makes the Macaulay Library a robust scientific resource.

The purpose of the Macaulay Library is to preserve, maintain, and make natural history media available to the public via a searchable database. Its archives support thousands of research studies in animal behavior, evolution, and ecology. The library’s data is used in tools like Merlin Bird ID, educational programs, and media quizzes to teach bird and animal vocalization recognition. It is also used to provide data to assess species presence and diversity and to support conservation storytelling. Sounds and media from the Macaulay Library have also inspired musicians, filmmakers, poets, and artists by supplying high-quality natural sounds. For example, bird song from the library has been woven into orchestral works, dance and installations.

The usefulness of the Macaulay Library reaches a diverse array of communities including educators, students, citizen scientists, and creative professionals. These rich, well-documented recordings span nearly a century of data collections and empower comparative studies, trend analysis, and new technology (e.g., machine-learning models). For educators and students, the library gives free access to archive media for lectures, quizzes, and field ID to enhance engagement with wildlife. Artists and media producers can legally license the content from the library to embed in their projects or performances.

The Macaulay Library is an essential, multidisciplinary archive that preserves an extraordinary array of animal vocalizations and imagery. It serves as a global resource for understanding, appreciating, and preserving earth’s biodiversity across time and for media.

For more information about the history and breadth of the Macaulay Library please visit the following article written by Mary Bates, Ph.D and published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: