evolution Archives - British Ornithologists' Union

Wren evolution in the British Isles: How might island evolution generate patterns of avian diversity?

By Michał Jezierski|2026-09-05T22:30:12+01:0010 Sep 2026|diversification, evolution, genetic differentiation, islands|

Report from a BOU-funded project

Bird brained

By Ashleigh Marshall|2026-05-06T15:36:20+01:007 May 2026|brain evolution, cognition, evolution, nest construction, nest evolution, nest-building, phylogenic comparative methods|

Passerine brain size correlates with nest attachment mode, rather than nest type

Does eggshell phenotype act as an identity signal?

By Ashleigh Marshall|2024-03-07T10:55:24+00:007 Mar 2024|brood parasitism, colonial birds, eggs, eggshell maculation, evolution, nest environment|

Sociality and nest environment linked to eggshell maculation in Hirundinidae

Why do birds have different eye colours?

By Eamon Corbett|2023-10-16T07:17:53+01:0016 Oct 2023|colour mutations, colouration, early-career researcher, evolution, Genetics|

Bird irises come in a rainbow of colours – but what are the causes behind them?

Are long tails all about sex?

By Wenyi Zhou|2023-06-19T17:22:26+01:0026 Jun 2023|adaptation, avian biology, behaviour, communication, early-career researcher, ecology, ECR, evolution, feathers, IBIS, passerines, phenotypic variation, plumage|

A review of functions of avian elongated tails

Honey-hunting and human-honeyguide mutualism

By Afan Anap Ishaku|2023-03-16T09:32:54+00:0016 Mar 2023|Africa, behaviour, bird-human interactions, BOU-funded, early career, ecology, ECR, evolution, fieldwork|

What is the current state of honey-hunting and human-honeyguide mutualism in Northern Nigeria?

Robins on East Asian islands

By Shin-Ichi Seki|2023-03-01T10:38:05+00:002 Mar 2023|alpine birds, distribution, diversity, DNA barcoding, DNA sequencing, evolution, fieldwork, forest birds, Genetics, IBIS, island birds, migrant, passerines, population structure, populations|

Genetic differentiation in volcanic islands branching off from the mainland

Blue Manakins nest near “nest-like” structures

By Paulo Zima|2022-10-25T13:37:11+01:0017 Oct 2022|adaptation, avian biology, behaviour, Breeding, camouflage, early-career researcher, ecology, ECR, endemic, evolution, forest birds, IBIS, Neotropics, nest predation, nesting material, nesting success, passerines, predation, predator-prey interactions, reproduction, tropical birds|

Could it be an anti-predatory strategy?

Feather colouration and the (mis)measure of patterns

By Natalia García|2022-08-19T09:38:56+01:0018 Aug 2022|avian biology, BOU-funded, Career Development Bursary, colouration, early career, ecology, ECR, evolution, feathers, morphology, passerines, plumage|

How to objectively “measure” colouration in species with complex patterns of spots and/or lines?

Genome-wide markers resolve Forest Owlet taxonomy

By Vinay K L|2022-08-12T13:31:27+01:0015 Aug 2022|biodiversity, birds of prey, evolution, Genetics, genomics, IBIS, natural history, nocturnal birds, owls, raptors, systematics, Taxonomy, tropical birds|

Examining UCEs clarify phylogenetic relationships of the Forest Owlet