[TN-Bird] eNews: Swallow Research Makes Headlines

Birders,

Here are some information on Barn Swallows and Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers.


Shane Adams
East of Hamblen County
Morristown, TN. 37813


Dear Lab members and friends,
 
Just a quick update for you about recent research results from the Lab and 
other news: 
 
Looks Count for Barn Swallows
Science magazine published a cover story today by lead author Rebecca Safran, 
who discovered some intriguing results about Barn Swallows as part of her 
graduate work at the Lab of Ornithology and Cornell University.
        She found that even after Barn Swallows have paired up for the season, 
females constantly judge their mates by their looks, in particular by the 
reddish color of the males' breast and belly feathers. Females mated to males 
with paler feathers were more likely to secretly copulate with another male.
        Safran and collaborators used nontoxic markers to enhance the feather 
color of some of the males in the study. All of the swallows remained paired 
with their original mates, but DNA testing revealed that females paired to 
males with the reddest feathers cheated less. As a result, those males fathered 
a greater proportion of young in their brood. Safran speculates that the 
intensity of the reddish color is an indicator of the male's health, status, 
and ability to raise young. 
            For more on the story,  go to National Geographic News and Science 
magazine (subscription required.).          
 
Attwater's Prairie-Chickens Survive Hurricane Rita
We're happy to share some good news sent by Brandon Crawford, preserve manager 
at the Texas City Prairie Reserve. When Brandon heard about the hurricane while 
attending a grouse conference in Nebraska, he rushed back to Texas City, where 
20 of the last 40 wild individuals remain of this endangered subspecies. 
Expecting the worst, he arrived with one-gallon ziplock "body bags" in case he 
found prairie-chickens killed by the hurricane. 
        "I don't really want to say it too loud as it might jinx something, but 
all 11 radio collared birds were giving off 'live' signals," Brandon wrote. "I 
am still a little in shock since seven of those birds were released a little 
over a month ago (the death toll is highest within the first month of release). 
I feel confident that the wild birds running around without radio collars fared 
just as well."
 
Tim's Talk: "Hot On the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker"
This semester's traditional Monday Night Seminar series at the Lab kicked off 
with a special presentation by Tim Gallagher, Editor-in-Chief of the Lab's 
Living Bird magazine and author of "The Grail Bird." Now if you have a 
broadband Internet connection, you can see and hear Tim's talk via the Lab's 
web site.  
 
Flex Your FeederWatch Muscles
The 18th season for Project FeederWatch begins in just a matter of weeks­time 
to sign on for another round of winter watching. Last year's season turned up 
some surprises, including the inexorable march of an invasive species, pets 
gone wild, and many rare bird sightings. 
        To learn more about Project FeederWatch or to register, United States 
residents can follow the above link or call the Lab toll-free at (800) 
843-2473. In Canada contact Bird Studies Canada at (888) 448-2473. 
        In return for your $15 participation fee ($12 for Lab members, $35 for 
Canadian residents), participants receive the FeederWatcher's Handbook, a 
colorful poster of the most common feeder birds, a calendar, complete 
instructions on how to file their reports, the new FeederWatch Year in Review, 
and a subscription to the Lab's newsletter, BirdScope. 
 
Many thanks for your continued support of the Lab's endeavors in research, 
education, and citizen science!

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