Jennifer Houtz - PhD Candidate at Cornell University

Emerging evidence has revealed that gut microbiota (the microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract) are essential for a wide array of host physiological functions in birds. But can gut microbiota influence the behavior of the host? This talk will discuss the potential for gut microbiota to influence the behavior of birds and how avian behavior can influence gut microbiota diversity. Our speaker, Jenn Houtz, will share results from her PhD work investigating this bidirectional relationship between behavior and gut microbiota in tree swallows.

Jenn Houtz is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Cornell Presidential Life Sciences Fellow. Jenn received her B.S. in Animal Behavior from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, where she studied the development of gut microbiota in starlings and worked as an assistant on a project studying the social behavior of wire-tailed manakins in Ecuador. Her research interests include microbial ecology, stress physiology, behavioral ecology, and ornithology. As a first-generation student, she is also passionate about mentoring undergraduate researchers, teaching, and science outreach.

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.

Keith Russell - Program Manager for Urban Conservation for Audubon Mid-Atlanti
 

Birds have been colliding with buildings and other human structures since the 19th century and much of the work that has been done historically to help us understand the phenomenon was done in Pennsylvania, and this includes pioneering research conducted in Philadelphia by the DVOC during in the 1890s. This talk will review what we have learned about the problem in Philadelphia and what has been done in recent years in Philadelphia to address it.

Keith Russell is based in Philadelphia where he works on a variety of bird conservation issues including bird collisions with human structures, birds and nocturnal lights, non-native plants, and migration stopover habitat. His work uses education, monitoring, research, advocacy, mitigation work, and habitat restoration to improve conditions for birds in ways that have also broadened engagement in the environmental movement.

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.

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.