Author: Nicholas Russo
Bird Banding in central Argentina: the first effort to establish aging criteria using molt patterns and plumages
Scientific bird banding has been paramount for the development of ornithological research. In North America and Europe, the implementation of this standardized methodology in longstanding monitoring efforts (constant-effort bird banding stations) has provided deep insights into basic life-history aspects of bird species. In contrast, the southern region of the Neotropics historically lacked such efforts. This has delayed... Read More
Ornithological Council bimonthly news brief: Jul-Aug 2024
The Ornithological Council is pleased to provide this bimonthly report covering activities in July and August 2024. 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. Met with USFWS Migratory Birds Program Headquarters Liaison to Regional Migratory Bird Permit Offices, to discuss current permitting issues. 3. Continued work on a template field study policy for IACUCs to adopt. In response to many inquiries ... Read More
Terns of North America: A Photographic Guide
At 19 x 24 cm (7.5 x 9.5 inches), 202 pages, and covering just 19 species, Terns of North America: A Photographic Guide, by Cameron Cox, is not a field guide. Neither is it a handbook, as it generally lacks detailed quantitative data and literature citations within the text (but see below). In some ways, it resembles a coffee table book, and its abundant and uniformly superb photos reward even casual browsing. But it is much more than that. Closer examination of this attractive volume reveals that... Read More
AFO-SCO-WOS 2024 joint meeting recap
Welcome! Between July 29 and August 1, 2024, AFO held its annual meeting jointly with its sister societies, the Wilson Ornithological Society and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists in Peoria, Illinois. Nothing like three full days of fabulous research, learning, and camaraderie to unite and strengthen our ornithological community! Plenaries and talks Each date began with […] Read More
The Birds that Audobon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness
"This is the most challenging book I've ever tried to write," Kenn Kaufman candidly admits in The Birds That Audubon Missed (371). As a reviewer, I empathize; it's also challenging to review. Wide-ranging in scope, it defies easy categorization, existing as history, biography, natural history, literary criticism, memoir, meditation, and travelogue, with frequent discourses on topics such as systematics and taxonomy,... Read More
2024 Bergstrom Grants recipients!
We are proud to present the winners of the Bergstrom Grants 2024! 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. Recently, AFO undertook a reorganization of its fellowship program. A mid-year round of the Bergstrom Grants was […] Read More
Student Presentation Awards 2024
Each year, at our annual conference, we announce the Best Student Presentation Awards. These awards seek to recognize outstanding oral and poster presentations. Students at every level are eligible for these awards. The level of research presented this past August at our AFO-SCO-WOS joint meeting was so high, we had a hard time choosing the […] Read More
Birdsong and environmental stress: how a drought in a community science hotspot enabled a natural experiment
I awoke in my tent before dawn and heard the first songs of the day beginning to permeate the forest. My dog lifted her head and gave me a look of bewilderment that seemed to say, "these jabbering birds are clearly doing just fine since last year’s drought, let’s go back to sleep." As tempting as that might’ve seemed, I put on my boots and picked up my recorder instead. Less than a year prior, in the fall of 2016,... Read More
