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Community Corner

The Complex Social Life of Cliff Swallows: Insights from a 30-year Study

The Complex Social Life of Cliff Swallows: Insights from a 30-year Study
Presentation by Dr. Charles Brown
Thursday, March 20, 7:00-8:30pm
Location: Heron Hall, Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Free, open to the public, donations appreciated

With an unparalleled depth of knowledge about this amazing avian species, Dr. Brown will present an overview and research highlights of a long-term study of social behavior in Cliff Swallows in western Nebraska, focusing on why these animals live in groups. Brown will discuss how the birds are affected by bedbug-like parasites, how they avoid predators by living in colonies, how colony members use each other to find food, how they lay eggs in each other’s’ nests, and how colony size affects their survival.  Recent findings on natural selection on the birds’ ability to avoid being hit by vehicles on roads will also be presented.

Dr. Brown is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Tulsa. A native of Sherman, Texas, he became interested in birds at age 11 when he began studying Purple Martins in his backyard, and published his first scientific paper at age 15. He received a B.A. in biology from Austin College and a Ph.D. in biology from Princeton University. He was on the faculty at Yale University before joining the University of Tulsa in 1994. Dr. Brown has been doing a long-term study of Cliff Swallow social behavior and ecology in western Nebraska since 1982. He is the recipient of the American Ornithologists’ Union’s Elliot Coues Award in 2009 and the Animal Behavior Society’s Exemplar Award in 2011. While in Sonoma County, Dr. Brown will also visit the Petaluma bridges to view exclusion methods for the upcoming nesting season, subjects of the recently settled litigation against CalTrans. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Laguna Foundation, Native Songbird Conservation & Care, andMadrone Audubon Society. Each organization will have informational displays for visitors to peruse both before and after the presentation.

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