There are around 10,000 species of birds living on the planet and they inhabit every continent and every ecosystem. On the densely populated continent of Europe there are 700 different species vying for space, and many of them are understandably in danger of becoming extinct. Determining how many birds of one particular species there is has always posed a problem to ornithologists. But that is about to change.

Daniel Wolff is a researcher at the University of Bonn. In partnership with the Animal Sound Archive at the Humboldt University in Berlin, he pioneered bioacoustic computer software that scans and identifies bird songs. Not only is it highly accurate, it also negates the need for humans to invade fragile ecosystems.