xeno-canto API
Overview
xeno-canto is a community-built library of over 700,000 wild bird sound recordings from around the world. You can query by species name, country, or quality rating and get back metadata plus a direct audio file URL. It is ideal for nature apps, educational tools, or anyone learning to work with scientific data APIs.
Beginner Tip
Search with a plain GET request like https://xeno-canto.org/api/2/recordings?query=owl — no API key needed. The recordings[].file field gives you a direct MP3 link you can play immediately.
Available Data
Example Response
{
"name": "xeno-canto",
"data": "xeno-canto-specific information and attributes",
"source": "xeno-canto"
} Field Reference
numRecordings Total number of recordings matching your query numPages Total pages available; use the page parameter to paginate through results recordings[].en English common name of the bird species recordings[].file Direct URL to the MP3 audio recording recordings[].cnt Country where the recording was made recordings[].q Quality rating from A (best) to E (worst) Implementation Example
// ⚠️ Note: This URL may be a documentation page. Check official docs for actual API endpoint.
const url = "https://xeno-canto.org/explore/api";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data); What Can You Build?
Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.
Common Errors & Troubleshooting
Matrix Score Breakdown
Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026
Technical Specifications
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