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wood-thrush-dummy
To simulate the presence of Wood Thrush at unused forest sites in southern Indiana, we placed a hand-painted dummy on top of a speaker box that broadcast Wood Thrush songs in the pre-breeding and post-breeding periods. To our surprise, we found no evidence that these simulation treatments attracted settlers. Photo by Jonathon J. Valente.

Management of breeding birds using conspecific attraction requires better knowledge of when, where, and why it is likely to be effective

By Christa L. LeGrande-Rolls and Jonathon J. Valente Linked paper: Conspecific attraction for conservation and management of terrestrial breeding birds: Current knowledge and future research directions by Jonathon J. Valente, Christa L. LeGrande-Rolls, James W. Rivers, Anna M. Tucker, Richard A. Fischer, and Matthew G. Betts, Ornithological Applications In 2012, we were working on a …

AOS Welcomes Dr. Judith Scarl as Its Next Executive Director

CHICAGO, Ill. — The governing Council of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) today announces the appointment of Dr. Judith Scarl as its next executive director and chief executive officer, effective 6 July 2021. Dr. Scarl succeeds Melinda Pruett-Jones as the second woman executive to lead the society. The AOS formed in 2016 after a merger …

Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day!

World Migratory Bird Day and Global Big Day are this Saturday, 8 May! We hope you’ll join us in this global celebration to raise awareness about the importance of conserving migratory birds and their habitats. We’ve pulled together a few Wing Beat posts from this past year that highlight research findings from migration-related papers that …

Congratulations to the 2021 AOS Student and Postdoc Research Award Winners

AOS is proud to recognize the students and postdoctoral researchers who have been awarded funding through our 2021 Student and Postdoctoral Research Awards program! These annual awards, each up to $2,500, honor early-career ornithologists doing research that advances our understanding of avian biology and bird conservation. The Research Awards Committee puts a great deal of …

AOS Announces Executive Director Transition

Chicago, IL, February 26, 2021 – After seven years serving as the first executive director of the American Ornithological Society (AOS), the leading international society for professionals dedicated to advancing the science and conservation of birds, Melinda Pruett-Jones has announced her intention to retire at the end of June. The AOS was formed in 2016 …

molting-male-hooded-warbler
A tailless molting male Hooded Warbler photographed on 23 August 2019 near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Warblers in this molt stage are typically replacing 50–67% of their 48 flight feathers simultaneously, including all 12 rectrices of the tail and 6–10 of the 18 remiges on each wing. Warblers in high-intensity molt usually skulk in thick vegetation, fly poorly and reluctantly, and are infrequently seen or photographed. Photo by Mary Parker Sonis.

High-intensity Flight Feather Molt: A Cryptic but Critical Phase of the Annual Cycle of Migratory Warblers

By Ronald L. Mumme Linked paper: High-intensity flight feather molt and comparative molt ecology of warblers of eastern North America, by Ronald L. Mumme, Robert S. Mulvihill, David Norman, Ornithology. The lives of migratory songbirds inhabiting the north temperate zone are built around three dramatic and energetically demanding phases of their annual cycle: spring migration, …

Special Features in AOS Journals

The AOS journals seek proposals for Special Features, collections of 5–8 articles that address emerging concepts or important questions of broad interest to ornithologists. AOS seeks to publish up to two Special Features annually. Articles included in a Special Feature can be published across both Ornithology and Ornithological Applications, depending on each article’s focus, and …

The green-and-black fruiteater, Pipreola riefferi, is a relatively small-eyed bird that lives in the canopy. This individual is one of nearly 10,000 birds banded during the project. Photo by Ian Ausprey. Used with permission.

Bright light bars big-eyed birds from human-altered landscapes

New research shows the glaring light in human-altered landscapes, such as livestock pastures and crop fields, can act as a barrier to big-eyed birds, potentially contributing to their decline.

Seeking Papers: Conservation Social Science Informs Bird Conservation Efforts

By Catherine Lindell, Editor-in-Chief, The Condor: Ornithological Applications The editorial staff of The Condor: Ornithological Applications invites authors to consider the journal for their conservation social science papers that focus on birds. The journal, soon to be renamed Ornithological Applications, publishes articles that advance the conservation and management of birds. Few articles to date have …

AOS thanks our reviewers in celebration of Peer Review Week 2020

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is especially proud to recognize and celebrate each of the reviewers of our scientific journals this week during Peer Review Week 2020. This year’s globally celebrated theme, “Trust in Peer Review,” certainly reflects the deep respect, trust, and confidence we have in our reviewers’ dedication to producing high-quality—and highly trusted—scholarly scientific …