Ornithologist measuring bird

Because birds
are essential to
our planet’s
future.

About AOS

Join, Update, Renew Membership

Attend NAOC 2020 Puerto Rico 10–15 August

Browse The Auk, The Condor, Checklists

Apply for Awards and Funding

Professional Development

Students

Learn how AOS supports future ornithologists

Early Career

Learn about AOS professional resources
More Resources

Wing Beat

More Blog Posts

Calendar

15 November 2019

NAOC early registration, call for abstracts, and travel award competition open (tentative)

29 November 2019

Officers and Elective Councilor nominations close

Fellows & Elective Member nominations close

1 December 2019

Student & Postdoc Research Award applications open

Deadline for symposium, round table, and workshop proposals for NAOC

 

See complete calendar

Why AOS Now?

CHRISTOPHER WITT
Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
AOS Elective Councilor

“The AOS community includes many great role models in ornithology, representing all living generations and career stages. It’s connected to the earliest history of our field, and it remains prominent and influential, both in the discovery of new bird knowledge and in the broader study of biodiversity. AOS has both inspired me and enabled me to do better work in curation, mentoring, and research. For those reasons, membership is essential.”

 

JOIN US

From the field

I’m part of a research team studying Black-throated Blue Warblers (BTBW) and other migratory songbirds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My former Ph.D. advisor, Dick Holmes, started bird research at Hubbard Brook in 1969. The BTBW project began in 1982, making this one of the longest-running songbird population studies in the U.S. Our current research focuses on understanding how BTBW respond to lengthening growing or “greenHi folks! I’m Scott Sillett, Editor-in-Chief of The Auk: Ornithological Advances and a Research Wildlife Biologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, part of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC. I study the population biology of migratory and resident birds. Stay tuned this week to learn about my research projects and about being a journal editor with the American Ornithological Society! #ornithology #birds #science #wildlife #conservationDo you want to help shape the future of AOS? Consider running for a spot on the AOS Council! Here's what current Elective Councilor Lauryn Benedict has to say about her experience so far. Nominations are due November 29!Climate change means spring is arriving earlier in the Arctic, but not all Arctic-breeding geese are affected the same way — some (such as the Barnacle Goose pictured here) successfully produce more offspring in years with earlier springs, but some produce fewer. New research published in The Auk suggests that this is because timing of spring has different effects on two different stages of the breeding cycle: the pre-laying, laying, and nesting phase, and the hatchling, fledgling, and juvenile phase. When snow melts earlier, more geese initiate a nest, their clutch size is larger, and the chance that the eggs will hatch increases. However, the second stage (hatchling, fledgling, and juvenile) is negatively affected by earlier springs, because food quality is already declining by the time the eggs hatch, creating a trophic mismatch. Photo by Michiel Boom. #ornithology #science #nature #wildlife #birds #geese #conservation #ecology #climatechange #arcticDo you want to help shape the future of AOS? Consider running for a spot on the AOS Council! Here's what current President-Elect Tom Sherry has to say about his experience so far. Nominations are due November 29!Thanks for letting me take over the AOS Instagram for a week! I hope I’ve given a good glimpse into my research and experiences. For all of the undergraduate ornithologists out there, I encourage you to strive for new horizons in your research! I plan on beginning a Master’s or PhD program in the fall of 2020 to continue my studies in ornithology. My future research interests include studying the genomic, behavioral, spatial, and morphological effects of hybridization and the formation of hybrid zones. #ornithology #science #wildlife #biology #birds #dogsofinstagram #womeninstem . [Thanks, Angelica! If YOU are an AOS member and would like to be featured here for a week, please get in touch.]As a lover of the outdoors, I find myself looking for new experiences wherever I can. In the summer of 2018, I took part in a study-abroad intensive led by Dr. McRae and Dr. Kyle Summers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. I engaged in daily and nightly hikes through Pipeline Road and Barro Colorado Island and conversed with the resident scientists about their current studies and long-term research goals on Barro Colorado Island. My experiences in the rainforest encouraged me to pursue work in wildlife biology and conservation. #science #conservation #biology #wildlife #ecology #panama #womeninstem #ornithology . [Our thanks to AOS member Angelica Reed (@angelicanreed), who's taking over this account for the week!]
Follow us on Instagram

Latest Tweet

TWITTER POLL TUESDAY: Which turkey species is your favorite? (Yes, we know brush-turkeys are a different family.) 🦃🦃🦃