Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Avifauna (“we”, “us”, birdsound.org) collects, uses and protects information when you use this website. By using the site you agree to the practices described below.

1. Information we collect

We do not ask you to create an account and we do not knowingly collect names or email addresses. Like most websites, we and our service providers may automatically collect limited technical information, including:

• IP address (used to derive approximate country/region);
• browser type and version, device type and operating system;
• pages visited, referring/exit pages, time spent and timestamps.

2. How we use it

• To understand which pages and bird recordings are most used and to improve the site;
• To measure aggregate, non-identifying traffic statistics;
• To keep the site secure and diagnose technical problems.

3. Cookies and similar technologies

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device. We and our providers may use cookies or equivalent technologies for analytics and advertising. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings; blocking them may affect some site features. We use the following services:

• Google Analytics 4 — analytics cookies that report site usage. See Google’s privacy policy and the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
• Umami — a privacy-friendly, cookie-free analytics tool. No persistent identifiers are stored on your device.
• Google AdSense — third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to this and other sites.

4. Advertising and personalised ads

Third-party vendors and ad networks display ads on this site. You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or www.aboutads.info. Google’s advertising requirements and privacy practices are described in Google’s privacy policy. We do not control the content of third-party advertisements or linked sites.

5. Third-party services and links

This site embeds/links to external services such as xeno-canto.org, Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia. These services have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices. Please review their policies when you visit them.

6. Data sharing

We do not sell personal information. Aggregated or anonymised statistics may be processed by the analytics and advertising providers listed above in order to operate the service.

7. Data retention

Automatically collected data and server logs are retained only as long as reasonably necessary for analytics, security and legal obligations, after which they are aggregated or deleted.

8. Your rights (GDPR / UK / CCPA)

Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct or request deletion of personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. For EEA/UK users, the legal basis for analytics and advertising processing is your consent and our legitimate interest to operate the site. California residents have rights under the CCPA/CPRA to know, delete and opt out. To exercise any right, contact us using the details below.

9. Children

The site is not directed to children under 13 (or the relevant age in your region), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them.

10. Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the “Last updated” date above.

11. Contact

If you have questions about this policy or your data, contact us at contact@birdsound.org.