BirdNET-Pulse - BirdNET-Runner

Overview

BirdNET Runner provides a simple Windows interface for running BirdNET-Analyzer on WAV recordings. For most prompts, you can simply take the default value by pressing <return>. The recording date and the magic "week number" that BirdNET-Analyzer requires are calculated for you. Instead of entering latitude and longitude each time, you can save a list of named locations and just use the name as a shortcut. Run time is reduced by inspecting the computer's available resources and optimising the number of files that can be simultaneously processed. The net result is to reduce errors by reducing the number of manual operations and calculations - this dramatically improves repeatability, reliability, run speed and consistency in the analysis of datasets by optimising the use of the available hardware.

It allows you to:

Select a single WAV file or a directory tree containing one or many WAV files
Skip or reprocess previously analysed files
Combine results into a single CSV file
Use named locations for latitude/longitude or enter specific values
Automatically optimise settings for fastest possible processing on your PC
View a clear summary of processing results

Installation

Install BirdNET-Analyzer from:
github.com/birdnet-team/BirdNET-Analyzer/releases/latest
Install the BirdNET Runner kit from the Downloads page
Run BirdNET Runner by clicking on the desktop "red bird" icon

WAV File Naming

WAV files do not internally hold timestamp metadata, so this is normally implied by using the following file naming convention:

Supported recorder filename formats:
[<prefix>_]YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS[T].<ext> (AudioMoth, Wildlife Acoustics)
[<prefix>]YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS[+-]hhmm_REC.<ext> (Frontier Labs)

Examples:

AudioMoth_20260421_053000.wav
SM23A5FED_20260421_053000T.wav

The 'T' is optional – some systems include this, especially AudioMoths. The date/time from the first WAV file found is used automatically if no timestamp is entered manually.

Typical Workflow

Start BirdNET Runner
Choose a source WAV folder (recommended) or single file
Choose output folder
Select location
Select recording date – default is to use date from first WAV filename
Select minimum AI confidence level – we suggest 0.75 (75%)
Select sensitivity – just take the default
Select how many seconds samples should overlap – just take the default (1)
Locale – just take the default (en)
Threads – this value is created for you by analysis of your PC's capabilities – just take the default
Optionally create a single CSV with all the results combined
Force reanalysis. If a CSV matching a selected WAV file exists, by default BirdNET-Analyzer will not re-analyse the file – this can save a lot of time. If you change your analysis settings, you may want to ensure all CSV files were generated with the same settings, so forcing re-analysis may be a good idea.
Wait for completion

Location Selection

Location [Marden] ('?' for help):

Options

Press Enter: use default location
Enter name: use saved location
Enter coordinates: latitude,longitude
Enter ?: list saved locations

Editing Locations

Locations can be saved in either of these files:

Documents\locations.cfg
<app-dir>\locations.cfg

The file in your Documents folder is checked first. If the same saved location name appears in both files, the Documents entry takes priority.

The <app-dir> file is in the installation directory for BirdNET-Runner, typically:

C:\Program Files (x86)\BirdNET Runner\locations.cfg

Entries in the file take the form:

<name>:<latitude>,<longitude>

For example:

Marden:51.17, 0.48
North Meadow:51.18, 0.49
River Bank East:51.20, 0.52

# Comments are allowed
Garden:51.21, 0.53       # inline comments are also allowed

Comments may be added using #. Anything after # is ignored.

Saved locations provide a convenient way of reducing errors and typing when common locations are used. For example, a wildlife group may set up a common locations.cfg file and share it amongst users.

Updating BirdNET-Runner does not overwrite any pre-existing locations.cfg.

Reanalysis Option

Force reanalysis of all files? (Y/N) [N]

N = skip existing results
Y = reanalyse all files

Combined Output

Creates:
BirdNET_CombinedTable.csv

Excludes:
BirdNET_analysis_params.csv

Final Summary

Displays counts, sizes, timing, and processing statistics.

Troubleshooting

If BirdNET-Analyzer is not found, the official Cornell download page opens automatically
If the file picker can't be seen, use Alt+Tab

Tips

Use folders for batch processing
Keep CSVs together for combining
Add multiple locations for quick switching

Version is displayed at startup.

BirdNET-Runner – User Guide