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Terms of Use

This document governs use of the BirdNET Live application and its bundled models (the "Software"). By using the Software, you agree to these terms.

1. Description

BirdNET Live is a mobile application for real-time bird species identification using on-device deep learning. It bundles the following models:

  • BirdNET+ V3.0-preview3 — an audio classifier for detecting bird vocalizations.
  • BirdNET Geomodel V3.0.1 — a spatiotemporal species occurrence prediction model.

BirdNET builds on:

  • Kahl et al. (2021): BirdNET: A deep learning solution for avian diversity monitoring.
  • Lasseck (2018): Audio-based Bird Species Identification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

Development and support involve the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Chemnitz University of Technology, and Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

2. License

The application source code is licensed under the MIT License (see LICENSE).

Trained model weights are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0):

  • You may use (including commercially), share, and adapt with proper credit, license link, and indication of changes.
  • Derivatives must use the same license.

The prohibitions in Section 5 override permissive license aspects.

3. No Warranty

THE SOFTWARE AND MODELS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY (INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT). USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

4. Data & Responsibility

You are responsible for:

  • Lawful acquisition and handling of audio data.
  • Understanding that model outputs are probabilistic predictions, not confirmed species observations (false positives and false negatives are possible).
  • Appropriate interpretation of species identification results for your use case.
  • Compliance with all applicable regulations regarding species data and conservation.

5. Prohibited Uses

You must NOT use the Software, its models, or any derivative:

  1. For POACHING, wildlife tracking intended to facilitate illegal capture, harm, trade, or exploitation of species.
  2. For ANY MILITARY purpose, including surveillance, targeting, or integration into defense systems.

If you cannot comply, do not use the Software.

6. Attribution

Publications, presentations, or derived tools must attribute the use of the models either through citation or acknowledgment (e.g., "Powered by BirdNET").

7. Limitation of Liability

Contributors and affiliated institutions are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from use or inability to use the Software.

8. Contact

For permissions, clarifications, or to report misuse: stefan.kahl@cornell.edu