Listen to a bird's mating call that became extinct twenty years ago.

“Animals: Art, Science and Sound” showcases the British Library’s wildlife collection, which contains over 250,000 recordings of animals from around the world. The recordings have been used to create four unique soundscapes representing darkness, water, land and air. Individual recordings are on display in the exhibition.

Most poignant is the song of the last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a songbird from Hawaii. Habitat destruction and invasive species, which were introduced to the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi over the past 100 years, reduced the once thriving population to a single pair. In 1982, the female bird died during a hurricane, leaving behind her male partner. It is his solitary song that can be heard here, calling out to his mate who will sadly never respond.