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December 16,2021

Anna Murray 

An album featuring the sounds of endangered Australian birds has surged to the top of the country's music charts after a vigorous social media campaign. On December 3, "Songs of Disappearance," a collection of recordings and calling sounds from 53 of Australia's most endangered bird species, was released. It was recorded during a 40-year period. With over 3,000 copies sold, it's the first album of its kind to chart in Australia's Top 5 albums.

BirdLife Australia, an avian conservation group, will profit from the album's proceeds. Anthony Albrecht, a Charles Darwin University (CDU) PhD student and co-founder of The Bowerbird Collective, is one of the project's scholars, musicians, and environmentalists. In addition, David Stewart, a famous naturalist and a nature sound recordist, the Bowerbird Collective, BirdLife Australia, Charles Darwin University, and Mervyn Street of Mangkaja Arts collaborated on the project.

The CD costs $9.08 and contains 54 tracks that range in length from 11 seconds to 2 minutes and 55 seconds. David Stewart Nature Sound recorded the tracks over the course of his decades-long career. According to a study by Charles Darwin University, one out of every six bird species in Australia is endangered, owing to habitat loss from brushfires and climate change. According to a new estimate from BirdLife Australia, the number of vulnerable birds has increased by as much as 25%.