Project AVoCet aims to provide a global database of well-documented, downloadable bird sounds in aid of environmental and ornithological research, conservation, education, and the identification and appreciation of birds and their habitats. The scientific use of avian sound recordings has long presented special challenges for a variety of reasons, including the separation of the recording and the individual responsible for the sound; the frequent lack of information provided on how a given identification was arrived at; the variability and complexity of many bird sounds; and the fact that many species are still little known and difficult to find. To help address these problems, among our major goals is the promotion of best practices in documentation so that individual recordings can serve as baseline data and can facilitate independent verification.