Those laws are usually about eavesdropping, and most states (e.g. my state of Illinois) have carveouts for a "reasonable expectation of privacy" (though I found

Those laws are usually about eavesdropping, and most states (e.g. my state of Illinois) have carveouts for a "reasonable expectation of privacy" (though I found something saying Montana doesn't?). Recording people inside an Illinois hotel room, felony eavesdropping. Recording audio in the hotel lobby, irrelevant. I think you'd have an extremely uphill battle that says a mic outside was "knowingly and intentionally" used to eavesdrop. You would then also need to demonstrate one of: 1. it was done purposefully to eavesdrop (no, it was meant to record birds) 2. it was done to record/transmit/overhear the conversation 3. even if inadvertent, someone used/disclosed anything in the private conversation heard If all the audio is getting processed to be maybe this or that bird, and the raw feed isn't stored, let alone rehosted, I don't think there's an issue.