An “audio telescope” that can identify different species of bird by their calls could soon help protect planes from crashing, reports New Scientist.

When planes collide with birds, the results can be catastrophic - an event most likely to occur on lower-altitude flight paths near airports. Radar and infrared detectors can already spot birds but cannot tell a large bird that could cause serious damage from a small, low-risk one.

… Software used to identify individuals by voice has been modified by Stanford, NIST colleagues and researchers from US firm Intelligent Automation so that it can distinguish between bird species instead.

An array of 192 microphones, arranged on the ground in concentric circles nearly 2 metres across, is used to pick up the sound of distant birds. The setup, which Stanford calls an “audio telescope”, can be trained on a flock of birds after they are spotted using a radar or infrared detector.