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
Guest feature | Threats to waterbird nests: identifying nest failures and daily survival rates for three endemic Hawaiian waterbirds
Hawaiʻi is home to many endemic bird species. Yet, most picture the rainforest with the colorful assemblage of honeycreepers, not realizing that waterbirds, too, have a unique place in the Hawaiian Islands. The endemic Hawaiian waterbirds include rails, ducks, geese, herons, ibises, and stilts. Unfortunately, many species went extinct after the arrival of humans, but […] Read More
Ornithological Council bimonthly news brief: Nov-Dec 2024
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. Submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to their announcement that they intend to prepare an environmental […] Read More
Guest feature | How an Instagram post sparked my Master’s thesis: from curiosity to conservation
I never imagined that a simple Instagram post would ignite the spark for my Master's thesis research. But in 2021, that’s exactly what happened. While scrolling, I came across a photo shared by the National Audubon Society. It showed a man spreading bright orange goop on a rock, with a caption explaining that this unusual tactic was being used to reduce predation on ground-nesting shorebirds in New Zealand. Read More