evolution Archives - British Ornithologists' Union

Why do birds have different eye colours?

By Eamon Corbett|2023-10-16T07:17:53+00:0016 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+00:0026 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+00:0017 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+00:0018 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+00:0015 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

Vocal differences in Acorn Woodpeckers

By José de Jesús Zazueta-Algara|2022-06-06T09:29:12+00:0023 May 2022|acoustic monitoring, adaptation, avian biology, bioacoustics, bird song, citizen science, communications, early-career researcher, ecology, ECR, evolution, Neotropics, population dynamics, song, tropical birds, vocalisations, vocalizations|

Structure and divergence of vocal traits in the Acorn Woodpecker

Overlooked diversity in a European context

By Manuel Schweizer|2022-04-29T15:29:48+00:009 May 2022|cryptic, diversification, diversity, DNA sequencing, evolution, genetic diversity, Genetics, IBIS, Mediterranean forest, museum collections, phylogeny, population structure, Speciation, Taxonomy|

Genome-wide data uncovers two morphologically cryptic lineages in the Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Bird odour: camouflage or communication?

By Marc Gilles|2022-03-08T18:25:16+00:0014 Mar 2022|avian biology, breeding biology, camouflage, communication, early career, early-career researcher, ecology, ECR, evolution, incubation, nest predation, nesting success, pair communications, physiology, plumage, reproductive signalling, smell|

Investigating the olfactory functions of preen oil in birds