Guest Posts Archives - Page 7 of 12 - American Ornithological Society

american golden-plover — American Golden-Plovers prefer to nest in areas with shorter vegetation at higher elevations than Pacific Golden-Plovers. Photo by Rachel M. Richardson, U.S. Geological Survey.

14 May 2020

Ocean or Mountain View: How to Choose a Summer Home in a Changing Climate

If you were searching for a summer home for your young family, would you choose a place amidst lush coastal meadows, or high up in the mountains?

trays of preserved bird specimens — The crucial series of specimens collected by Robb Brumfield and currently held at the UW Burke Museum. Photo by Rafael Marcondes.

12 May 2020

AOS

An Obscure Bird and the Richness of Biological Specimens

The beauty of specimens in biological collections is that they keep serving researchers for an indefinite period of time after they have been collected.

(A) Schematic phylogenetic tree showing proposed position of Jacamatia luberonensis relative to extant and extinct taxa of Piciformes and relatives. (B) Artist’s view of J. luberonensis (watercolour painting © Anaïs Duhamel).

11 May 2020

AOS

A Tiny Fossil Reveals Part of the Complex History of Puffbirds and Jacamars in Europe

When the fragment of calcareous plate was unearthed in sunny southeastern France, there was a hint of the presence within it of small fossil bones.

In an idea-mapping activity in August 2014 from the research application, participatory workshop with stakeholder groups in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, a Chamelco college student explains her biodiversity-friendly agroecosystem design with terracing, shade coffee, milpa polycultures, and fruit trees. Photo by Gemara Gifford.

30 April 2020

AOS

Social Science Is an Integral Part of Neotropical Bird Conservation

Human dimensions are critical in understanding, preserving, and managing birds that eat crop pests, provide economic opportunities, and bring us joy.

photo of an orange, black, and blue bird in a tree — An Orange-rumped Euphonia. Photo by Daniel J. Field, University of Cambridge.

20 April 2020

AOS

Unraveling the Origins and Family Tree of the Euphonia and Chlorophonia Finches

In the first year of my PhD, I spent a lot of time studying the phylogenetics literature to spark ideas for research into the diversification of songbirds in the Americas.

close-up of small grey and yellow bird in a tree — A female Canada Warbler on its wintering grounds. Photo by Santiago Rosado Hidalgo.

07 April 2020

AOS

Helping Migratory Birds While We Drink Our Coffee

The Andean mountains of Colombia, my homeland, are home to the world’s highest diversity of birds and are a major coffee-producing region.

small brown bird — The Pale-bellied Tapaculo (Scytalopus griseicollis) was one of the species examined in the new study. Photo by Daniel Uribe, Birding Tours Colombia.

23 March 2020

AOS

Scytalopus Tapaculos, a Continental Non-Adaptive Radiation

Birds in the tapaculo genus Scytalopus are a perennial source of headaches for ornithologists interested in species limits.

eleven individual photos of different colorful songbird species — Eleven species of Neotropical migrants that were the focus of this study. Photos by Nick Bayly.

10 March 2020

AOS

Is the Darién Region of Colombia a Migratory Bottleneck for Neotropical Migrants?

Our passion for migratory birds and curiosity to reveal the mysteries of migration took us to one of the most spectacular regions of Colombia: the Darién.

a small brown, white, and yellow bird being safely held by a researcher — Dickcissels were among the birds eating pest insects in cornfields. Photo by Daryl Coldren.

06 March 2020

AOS

Birds Provide a Boost to Corn but Not Soybean Crops in the Midwest

The Midwest’s vast seas of corn and soybeans are not known for their bird abundance or diversity, but if you look in the right places, the birds are there.

a small green bird with a long, curved bill — Olive Sunbirds and other African sunbird species provide significant ecosystem services for humans. Photo by Bill Newmark.

02 March 2020

AOS

A Utilitarian Argument for Sunbird Conservation

I can distinctly remember why I became interested in the number and relative frequency of food plants for African sunbirds that are useful to humans.