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!