AI technology uses sound to count baby owls

Baby barn owls can be identified individually from their hissing, the university said

Researchers are developing a way of counting baby barn owls through sound without disturbing their nests.

Bournemouth University PhD student Kavisha Jayathunge said he had successfully tested artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the voiceprints of individual birds.

He said the technique avoided disturbance by nest cameras and also allowed counting in nests that were hard to access.

The university said it hoped the technology would eventually be in widespread use by conservationists and volunteers.

It said individual owlets could not be differentiated by the human ear, but AI could pick out different frequencies in their hissing noises.

Mr Jayathunge said: "It has great potential for citizen science as it doesn't require expensive and specialist equipment.

"Anyone could gather recordings and send them for analysis."

The project is supported by Brian Cresswell, managing director of wildlife tracking firm Lotek UK.

He said: "This basic data is important for monitoring breeding success of barn owls, which can vary greatly between years and breeding sites.

"There may also be potential for the hissing analyses to determine how hungry the owlets are."

The university said the technology was in the early stages of development, although results so far had been "very encouraging".