The World’s first ‘Bird Song’ gets released globally

Folk Stories and Fairy tales that the global population grew up with, were never complete without an animated bird character which could sing.

And now the singing bird has become a reality, with its song getting released and distributed around the world.

BirdLife International has released what ​can easily be described as the world’s first ‘Bird Song.’

‘The Global Birdsong!’ is an audio production in form of a new Afro-electronic composition.

The creative sound of nature is made up of 100 birdsong and call recordings, on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Apple Music!

The song is being released as part of the Sounds Right Initiative, led by the Museum for The United Nations (UN Live) and EarthPercent.

Birdsong recordings contributed by BirdLife Partners from more than 100 countries have been transformed into an Afro-electronic composition where the voices of birds become instruments, tracing a sonic journey across the world. 

According to BirdLife International, the flying birds don’t recognize the borders that people draw.

“Their songs travel with them across continents, connecting landscapes, cultures and people along the world’s great flyways. Wherever humans are, birdsong is one of the few sounds that transcends language, geography and politics.”

A very bird idea

Timothy Arinaitwe, the Nairobi-based musician behind The Global Birdsong, points out that music has always had the power to cross borders, and birds do the same every day.

“Bringing their voices together with African rhythms, guitar and vocals felt like creating a conversation between people, places and nature all within one song.”

The Global Birdsong Initiative, led by BirdLife International, invited its Partners in more than 100 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific to record a birdsong of cultural or biological significance. 

The track is being released in partnership with Sounds Right, the global music initiative that launched ‘NATURE’ as an official artist, allowing royalties to flow directly to nature conservation efforts around the world.

The audio track is now live and available on various digital platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube Music and YouTube.

Axel Wild, is the sound artist and DJ who mixed The Global Birdsong. 

Singing Bird-ly

“Imagine being handed 100 voices from the natural world and asked to turn them into one song. Every bird brought its own rhythm, pitch and personality. My job was to listen, experiment and let those voices shape the music,” he said.

Drawing from this collection, musicians Timothy Arinaitwe and Axel Wild have created an original Afro-electronic composition that treats birdsongs as instruments themselves. Individual calls become melody, rhythm and texture, woven into a musical journey that follows the movement of birds across the world. 

Iminza Mbwaya, the associate Director at Sounds Right said since NATURE became a credited artist, more than 200 musicians have collaborated with her.

“The Global Birdsong is different. It brings together more than 100 conservation organisations, each sharing the voice of a bird that matters where they work. It’s one song carrying birdsong from across the world, and every stream helps fund frontline conservation efforts.”

On his part, Martin Harper, the Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife International explained that by weaving together 100 different bird songs, they created this rallying call.

“It’s a reminder of the beauty and wonder that birds bring to our world.”

“But 61 percent of all bird species are now in decline which is why BirdLife’s 125 Partners unite to help birds and all life thrive around the world.  And it’s why we need more people to join our conservation chorus.”