Costa Rican biologist and saxophone player Arturo Castro has invented special software that recognizes and differentiates between bird calls. His invention is expected to have a great impact on biological studies being carried out in Costa Rica, according to an interview with the scientist published in the weekly El Financiero.

Castro developed the software as part of his studies toward a Masters in information technology at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).

He explained that the program now includes 126 bird calls of five species and that he hopes to expand it to include the calls of 100 more species.

The software “will help to identify the quantity, behavior and location of these species” and could be used in education and tourism in addition to biological studies, conservation and environmental protection, he said.

Castro is designing the software to be compatible with traditional computers, GPS technology and handheld computer devices. He expects it to hit the market in about one year.