How Birds Made Us Human

Rob Fergus

People have been living and interacting with birds since before we were human. Many of the behaviors that we take to be inherently human—including walking upright, using tools, language, writing, music, dance, sewing, pottery, home building, and flight—were perfected by birds long before we became human. This presentation looks at the shared history of humans and birds and how we may have became human by copying these behaviors from birds in our shared environment.

Rob Fergus studies human-bird interactions and received his Ph.D. in geography from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Rob is the former executive director of Travis Audubon Society, founder of the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas and former National Audubon Senior Scientist for Urban Bird Conservation. He currently teaches geography and environmental studies at Rowan University and is the past president and current vice-president of the Birding Club of Delaware County.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.