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Madrid installs AI sensors to track birds and bats 24 hours a day
Madrid has started listening to what happens in its parks in a new way. A network of 15 acoustic sensors with artificial intelligence makes it possible to identify in real time the birds and bats passing through Madrid Río and the Valdebebas-Felipe VI forest park, offering a continuous snapshot of urban biodiversity.
Seven of the devices are distributed throughout Madrid Río and another eight operate in Valdebebas. They remain permanently active and recognise both bird songs and bat ultrasounds, making it possible to detect species that are much harder to follow through direct observation.
The technology has an important feature in a city full of conversations and noise. The sensors do not work like recorders: they process the sound signal in real time, identify the species using algorithms, and then discard the audio. The only thing that is recorded is the data needed for scientific monitoring.
Each detection also includes the time, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. With this information, technicians can check when activity is highest, how species change with the seasons, or what relationship exists between environmental conditions and the presence of certain animals.
The first results show clear differences between the two areas. In Madrid Río, 66 species of birds and 13 species of bats have been identified, with nearly 1,800 observations in total. Magpies, goldfinches, swifts, and serins are among the most frequently detected birds.
Valdebebas shows even greater diversity. There, the equipment has recorded 103 species of birds and 23 species of bats, as well as more than 10,000 observations. The larger and quieter nature of the forest park helps explain some of this difference compared to the much busier Madrid Río, which is frequented by runners, cyclists, families, and visitors.
All this information ends up on a platform that acts as a kind of digital twin of the wildlife in both parks. Heat maps, graphs, and georeferenced data make it possible to see which species appear, where they do so, and how their activity changes over time.
The system is not intended to replace biologists and fieldwork, but to give them an additional tool to detect trends much earlier. It can be used to study the spread of species, check the ecological quality of a park, or decide where to reinforce vegetation and shelters for wildlife.
The experience also opens the door to extending the network to other green spaces in Madrid. For now, walking through Madrid Río or Valdebebas means doing so alongside an almost invisible infrastructure that remains alert day and night: while the city goes about its routine, the sensors count birds and bats without needing to see them.