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"Some experts are warning that cell phone apps that mimic bird calls are too real.\nConcerned that birds may misinterpret the sounds as coming from their feathered friends, rather than phones, and responding to them instead of, say, feeding their babies, experts in the United Kingdom are calling the apps \u201Charmful.\u201D\n\u201CRepeatedly playing a recording of birdsong or calls to encourage a bird to respond in order to see it or photograph it can divert a territorial bird from other important duties, such as feeding its young\u2026It is selfish and shows no respect to the bird.\n\u201CPeople should never use playback to attract a species during its breeding season,\u201D Tony Whitehead, public affairs officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, told the BBC.\nSEE ALSO: Apes Get iPads at National Zoo\n\nMeanwhile, developers of the apps say the sounds are educational and not a cause for concern.\n\u201CJust keep the volume low,\u201D Dr. Hilary Wilson, a developer for the Chirp! app, told the BBC, although she admitted it is possible to misuse them. \u201CWe urge great caution \u2014 birdsong is simply a pleasant sound to human ears, but to birds it is a powerful means of communication.\u201D\nSEE ALSO: Birds\u2019 Emergency Calls Signal Friends, Foes\n\nIn England, The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 made it an offense to intentionally disturb nesting birds. Brownsea Island, in the county of Dorset, has put up signs warning visitors about using the apps.\nImage courtesy of Flickr, Phalinn Ooi"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/06/13/bird-apps-confuse-birds/>