Last week, an album of endangered bird calls titled Songs of Disappearance soared into the top five position on the ARIA Albums Chart. Today, they’ve flown a couple of spots higher to the #3 slot, above Taylor Swift‘s Red (Taylor’s Version) and just below Ed Sheeran‘s = and Adele‘s 30. On the Australian-only albums chart, it’s currently in the number one position.
The album, released by Birdlife Australia, features 53 of the country’s most threatened avian species including the fernwren, purple-crowned fairy wren, golden bowerbird, Australian palm cockatoo, plains-wanderer, western ground parrot and many more. It’s available across digital platforms and can also be purchased here.
Captured by wildlife documenter David Stewart, the album was compiled to coincide with a recent report on the impact of climate change on threatened species by Birdlife Australia and Stephen Garnett of Charles Darwin University. Created in consultation with over 300 bird experts, it discovered that one in six (216 from 1299) species of birds in Australia are in “imminent danger” due to climate change, highlighting the dire threat climate change inaction poses to animals.
“This album is a very special record with some rare recordings of birds that may not survive if we don’t come together to protect them,” commented Birdlife Australia CEO Paul Sullivan in a statement.
“While this campaign is fun, there’s a serious side to what we’re doing, and it’s been heartening to see bird enthusiasts showing governments and businesses that Australians care about these important birds.”
