Author: Agustina Torretta
Guest feature | Vigilance behaviour in colonially nesting waterbirds-environmental and social vigilance in Painted Stork
Colonial nesting, though prevalent in only a small number of bird taxa, has long fascinated evolutionary biologists, tempting the question: why did it evolve? One approach towards explaining the evolution of avian coloniality employs the ‘cost-benefit’ approach, which attempts to take into account the net effect of all the seemingly important variables. Read More
Guest feature | Insights from a decade of using the Motus network to track boreal bird species from Observatoire d’oiseaux de Tadoussac, Québec to temperate and tropical wintering grounds
Migration remains one of the least studied phases in the life cycle of birds, despite its crucial importance for understanding their population dynamics. Until recently, bird monitoring was limited to larger species due to the challenges associated with adding weight to smaller birds. This is where modern technology comes into play. The Motus tracking system, […] Read More
Ornithological Council bimonthly news brief: March-April 2025
The Ornithological Council’s mission is to: Over the last two months, Ornithological Council staff: 1. Developed a statement of support for federal science and scientists, which is posted on our website. AFO, WOS, and Waterbirds have signed on. Other societies wishing to join the statement should contact Laura Bies (laurabiesoc@gmail.com). 2. Joined with over 70 scientific […] Read More
Journal of Field Ornithology | Editor’s Pick (Volume 96, Issue 1)
We are glad to present this new section, where for each new issue of the JFO, one of the journal’s co-Editors-in-Chief will highlight their favorite paper. This edition is courtesy of Dr. Mark E. Hauber. The selected paper was: “Population estimates of shorebirds on the Atlantic Coast of southern South America generated from large-scale, simultaneous, […] Read More
Guest feature | Coexistence at the confluence: addressing human-related threats to coastal birds on the northern Gulf of Mexico
Coastal birds - which include shorebirds, seabirds, and wading birds - are particularly vulnerable to this convergence. Globally, their populations are declining due to habitat loss and/or degradation created by human disturbance, development, predation, collisions with anthropogenic structures and vehicles, and climate change, among other causes. Read More
AFO grants & awards | Announcing the 2025 Bergstrom Grants recipients
Did you know? The Association of Field Ornithologists has a fellowship program aimed at supporting field researchers at all stages of their careers, including non-professional ornithologists. We are proud to present the recipients of the 2025 round of the Bergstrom Grants. If you need funding for your research, consider applying for this opportunity. Mor information […] Read More
Ornithological Council bimonthly news brief: Jan-Feb 2025
The Ornithological Council’s mission is to: Over the last two months, Ornithological Council staff: 1. Met with the Chief of the USGS Bird Banding Lab, in a quarterly meeting to discuss issues of mutual interest. 2. Corresponded several times with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lead on purposeful take policy and liaison to the […] Read More
Guest feature | Why do Dusky Flycatchers nest in trees at high elevations?
Classical ecological theory suggests that two species cannot occupy the exact same niche when they co-occur. Where one species occurs alone, ecological release may lead to expansion or shifts in the ecological niche. Two closely related and ecologically similar Empidonax species breed across an elevational gradient in the southern Sierra Nevada, California: Dusky Flycatchers (Empidonax oberholseri) and Hammond’s Flycatchers (E. hammondii). The two species coexist at lower elevations but only Dusky Flycatchers... Read More