Finnegan McGill
Tanque Verde High School
Tucson, AZ
A-BiRD: An Automated Bird Recognition Device for Acoustic Monitoring and Conservation
Finnegan McGill, 18, of Tucson, spent more than four years developing his automated bird recognition device for acoustic monitoring and conservation (A-BiRD) for his Regeneron Science Talent Search animal sciences project.
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Rapidly disappearing bird populations threaten entire ecosystems. Current monitoring is limited by observer bias, difficulties in identifying the species and location of birds and uneven coverage over areas, seasons and times of day. Finnegan’s A-BiRD uses open-source code from Cornell University to identify bird species from their sounds and a custom algorithm to estimate bird locations based on sound arrival times.
Finnegan deployed two A-BiRD devices to collect information on bird populations in Tucson during fall migration. Open-source tools handled and visualized the data. He showed that A-BiRD provided detailed information about how birds use habitats and may be helpful to understand how populations are changing. Similar devices could help scientists study other sound-producing animals.
The child of Miriam and Christopher McGill, Finnegan attends Tanque Verde High School, where he is student body president, homecoming king and captain of the cross country team.
Beyond the Project
Finnegan’s grandfather inspired the project — the two share concerns about declining bird populations. He is the Tanque Verde High School student body president, homecoming king and cross country team captain.
FUN FACTS: Finnegan is a junior therapy dog handler, bringing his dog to facilities like hospitals, schools and nursing homes to provide comfort and emotional support.
