Fledgling Theories
Fledgling Theories
Episodes
Episodes of Fledgling Theories
Mark All
One side effect of our collective global coffee addiction is the transformation of native forest into coffee plantations. But are all coffee plantations created equal? How does shade grown coffee match up to the native forest it replaces? Can i
We usually think about natural selection making small changes, generation by generation, over long time spans. But during extreme weather events, high mortality means natural selection acts fast. How do these extreme events drive evolution? At
We might assume it's because the grass is greener on the other side. But this month's study suggests that some migrant Sanderlings headed to the tropics are getting less than they bargained for. Tune in to our chat about the costs and benefits
'Tis the season for caroling.... and some of us enunciate better than others. On its wintering grounds in Tanzania, the Thrush Nightingale sings an inconsistent, disjointed version of its beautiful, complex song. Why? In what ways is its winter
Flying is a dangerous business. Birds must dodge trees, powerlines, windows. Anyone who has seen a robin flit at full speed into a dense thicket knows birds have an extraordinary ability to avoid obstacles if they can see them. But some obstac
In TV advertisements, it seems paper towels can always absorb more grape juice. Are urban areas similarly able to take in more and more introduced bird species? Does this species absorption have a limit? In this episode, Willson and Ellie don'
Studying birds typically involves in-person observation, but with the rapid advance of high quality audio recorders and microphones, bird researchers are finding they can have "ears" in many places at once these days. How do audio recordings of
Not all brood parasites are on the hunt for an unsuspecting bird of another species to take advantage of. In fact, there are many bird species who lay the occasional egg in the nest of a same-species neighbor. But is this behavior actually para
Is there an evolutionary arms race between birds trying to hide eggs and birds trying to find eggs? If so, who is racing who? Brood parasites (like many species of Cowbird and Cuckoo) lay their eggs in other birds' nests to trick a host specie
Feeding the birds is big business these days, but how has all that food availability affected bird communities? It turns out that your feeder (combined with all your neighbors' feeders across the nation) has probably helped influence population
Do birds get used to people walking past? Today we are talking about whether birds in rural and urban areas differ in how easily they are spooked by passers by, both human and... well, umbrellan. To hear more about the role of eyed umbrellas
Specially adapted antbird species can track and follow army-ant swarms in the Ecuadorian forest to take advantage of the arthropods the ants flush from the forest floor. But there may be other birds hoping to take advantage of these ant swarms-
No matter where you live, you probably see some bird species that seem to stay put all year long. But did you know these species might still be migrating? Today we're talking partial migration-- where some individuals of a species migrate and s
Does it help or hurt a plant to have birds eat their seeds? Birds can help plants by moving their seeds to new places, but what happens to seeds inside birds’ guts? For some plants, seeds that pass through a bird’s gut may actually be at an adv
Long running, citizen science data collection projects like the Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count and the North American Breeding Bird Survey are more than just a fun excuse to get out and bird with other people! In fact, together they pro
For the endangered Saltmarsh Sparrow, nesting is a pick-your-battles endeavour. Nest too far below the high tide line, and you could lose your babies to flooding. Nest too far above the high tide line, and parasites may invade the nest, spreadi
Like Peter Pan, migrating birds fly through the night, straight on 'til morning... but then what? Usually as dawn arrives, birds make landfall in suitable stopover habitat. But if they find themselves over the Great Lakes in the northern USA as
Roughly 100 years ago, some Yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella) were captured in England and released in New Zealand. They successfully bred there, establishing a new population. Since then, what has happened to the way these birds sing? How ha
Stable isotopes are a pretty hot topic in bird research these days. But what are they, and how are they used? What can isotopes tell us about where and how birds are migrating? This month, we look at what the combined forces of isotopes and geo
As the planet gets warmer and spring comes earlier each year, birds may have to adjust their spring behaviors and migration timing to keep up with the weather! But what happens when bird populations fail to adjust their nesting and migration ti
Is climate change pushing birds to higher elevations than they've historically occupied? Are birds that live at the tops of mountains losing habitat as higher altitudes get warmer? This month, Ellie and Willson explore these questions as they d
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