The takeaway: Highly trained ornithologists do more than just study birds–FeatherSnap’s staff ornithologist does everything from train AI models to answer customer questions.
At the core of FeatherSnap is a dedicated team of people crazy about birds–and who want to share their passion with everyone. The heart of the team is an ornithologist, a specialized scientist who helps improve our products, explain science, and advocate for our users. New to ornithology? Here’s a primer:
What Is an Ornithologist?
An ornithologist is a scientist who studies the behavior, physiology, and conservation of birds and bird habitats. The word “ornithologist” comes from the Greek words for “bird” and “discourse on.” Ornithologists can work in a wide variety of situations, including field research, universities, zoos, government agencies, national parks, conservation organizations, museums–and FeatherSnap.
How Do You Become an Ornithologist?
To become an ornithologist, you typically start with a bachelor’s degree in a related field like biology, wildlife biology, or zoology, and often a master's or PhD for specialized research roles. Field work and research provide practical hands-on knowledge.
What Does FeatherSnap’s Ornithologist Do?
FeatherSnap’s in-house ornithologist has a wide range of responsibilities. The main focus is on expanding FeatherSnap’s Bird Book to include more accurate descriptions of birds and their life history. The ornithologist also studies data from different feeders around the country, looking for interesting plumages or anomalies, and tracks birds in unusual locations and better pinpoint migration timing. Additional tasks include education, marketing, and helping staff and customer service agents who have questions from customers.
While FeatherSnap’s staff ornithologist is the muscle behind many of our product features and customer tools, those with a FeatherSnap Premium subscription will benefit the most. The Premium subscription is like having an ornithologist on speed dial–a pretty good deal for just $5/month.
How Does FeatherSnap’s Ornithologist Train AI Bird ID Models?
Training a bird ID tool is a complicated task. It includes writing AI prompts that direct computer models to recognize notable traits, including range, size, color, bill shape, body shape, and behavior. FeatherSnap’s AI is a language-learning model that relies on descriptive written prompts that return accurate information. The prompts train the AI tool to think like an ornithologist, take into account the different factors, then produce a result. While the initial work took several months, the AI tool is constantly updated and improved. And note that while the AI bird ID tool is there for premium subscribers to use, there’s also an excellent manual bird ID tool.
Learn more about FeatherSnap’s Premium subscription here. Have a friend or family member who might be interested? We even have gift cards!