Home - Western Soundscapes

BASIC SEARCH mode. Type in your search term(s) or simply leave the search box blank and click "go" to see all files. OR browse all sounds currently available

OR use the pulldown menus to find a sample list of recordings. First, select a category in the left menu, then choose from the corresponding sounds on the right.

The Western Soundscape Archive is a searchable web-based audio collection with a focus on the natural sounds of the western United States. Begun in November of 2007, the archive is housed at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library and features recordings contributed by volunteers, state and federal agencies, and conservation groups. The website continues to grow and currently includes representative sounds of more than 70% of the West’s bird species, as well as numerous amphibians, mammals and reptiles from around the region. Please see About This Site for more information.

Featured Collections:

Sounds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Spectrograms and recordings from the National Park Service

Sounds from this website may not be copied, broadcast or distributed without the express written permission of the recordists. Click here for selected recordings available under less restrictive Creative Commons licensing.

Featured Sound

Columbia Spotted Frog Rana luteiventris

The Columbia spotted frog, Rana luteiventris, ranges from southeast Alaska through Alberta, Canada, and into Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and disjunct areas of Nevada and Utah. In Utah, isolated Columbia spotted frog populations exist in the West Desert and along the Wasatch Front. Unfortunately, habitat degradation and loss have led to declines in many of these populations, especially those along the Wasatch Front, precipitating the inclusion of the species on the Utah Sensitive Species List. With a goal of recovering the Columbia spotted frog, several government agencies are working cooperatively under a Conservation Agreement to eliminate or significantly reduce the threats facing the species. (source: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources)