Papageno: Birdsong Tutor

Papageno is a mobile app that helps you learn to recognize bird sounds by ear.

Screenshot of answered question Screenshot of course creation screen Screenshot of course overview

Everywhere around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has reduced human noise. Suddenly, nature is making itself heard again. And with many leisure activities being closed down, people are rediscovering the pleasures of going out into the countryside.

So what better time to learn more about what you're seeing and hearing around you? Papageno helps you with that. Use the app at home to learn the sounds that birds are making, then go out the door and see if you can find them!

The app is still in development, but the first release will happen Real Soon Now™. Want a heads up when it lands? Just enter your email address below.

Don't worry, I won't spam you, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

How does it work?

  • Listen to a recording and identify the bird, with instant feedback on your answers
  • Learn the sounds of birds in your local area (or your next holiday destination)
  • Gradually build up difficulty level, starting with birds that you have probably heard before
  • Use proven spaced repetition learning technique to put focus where it's needed

What else?

  • Includes 800 bird species from around the world, and over 2700 audio recordings
  • Bird names available in 30 different languages, from Afrikaans to Ukrainian
  • No account or sign-up required
  • Works on any Android or iOS device

It couldn't be more free!

  • Free to install
  • Free of in-app purchases
  • Free of advertisements
  • Free as in speech: open source under the GPL license
  • Free forever: license restrictions on the used recordings legally forbid commercial use

I need your help!

I'm developing Papageno in my spare time, so the more people help out, the better it can get! There are many ways to contribute, even without programming experience:

  • Feedback: let me know what you think
  • Beta testing: find errors before they affect everyone else
  • Promotion: get the word out
  • Graphic design: make the app look more polished and more fun
  • Sponsorship: help to cover expenses
  • App development: create new features in the app
You can get in touch by email at thomas@papageno.app. For bug reports or improvement suggestions, please consider filing a new issue at GitHub (but email is fine too).

App source code hosted at GitHub

Website licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and hosted by GitHub Pages

See my other projects at frozenfractal.com