RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Thanks to smartphones, you rarely have to strain anymore to remember the name of a song. Start up a phone app. Hold your device by the radio or a restaurant speaker. And the app will usually recognize the song.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now NPR News can offer a similar service for sounds from nature. Think about the sounds in your backyard.
(SOUNDBITE OF CRICKETS CHIRPING)
MONTAGNE: Crickets, I think.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOGS HOWLING)
INSKEEP: Oh, some kind of dog - maybe coyotes.
MONTAGNE: Well, how about this one?
(SOUNDBITE OF ANIMAL MOANING)
INSKEEP: That's some backyard you've got there, Renee.
MONTAGNE: Whatever you hear, we can help you identify it.
INSKEEP: Next time you're in your backyard, take out your smartphone or some other recording device, and capture the sound of the animals.
MONTAGNE: Send the file to nprcrowdsource@npr.org, and use the subject line, Decoding Nature. That's the name of our new series with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
INSKEEP: Scientists will identify the exact species of animal you are hearing. You need to include your full name and where you live.
MONTAGNE: And to learn more about the project, follow the hash tag, #decodenature on Twitter. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.