{"id":106834,"date":"2022-05-19T15:42:24","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T20:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=106834"},"modified":"2024-09-27T09:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T14:57:19","slug":"for-songbirds-bigger-or-brighter-might-be-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/for-songbirds-bigger-or-brighter-might-be-better\/","title":{"rendered":"For songbirds, bigger or brighter might be better"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to Wisconsin to the common yellowthroat. Found throughout much of North America<\/a>\u00a0in breeding season, the male common yellowthroat features a distinctive \u201cwitchety-witchety-witchety\u201d sound that even the most novice of birders might recognize.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Curious Campus, UWM\u2019s podcast about science, discovery and culture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But females might be attracted to looks. Peter Dunn, a UWM distinguished professor of biological sciences, is part of research team that authored a recent study looking at the courtship preferences of the common yellowthroats. They found that large or showy physical features of males attract females because they signal high-quality male genes, such as those linked with robust immunity or stress resistance.<\/p>\n

On this episode of Curious Campus, UWM\u2019s podcast about science, discovery and culture, we chat with Dunn about his work, the UWM Field Station and tips for aspiring birders. The hobby took flight during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a safe outdoor activity.<\/p>\n

Dunn gives some background about the common yellowthroat, the importance of the study and some advice for those inspired to go see and hear these songbirds themselves. Listen to the full show at WUWM.com<\/a> or on your favorite podcast app.<\/p>\n

For more details about the study, read this UWM Report story<\/a> published in February.<\/p>\n

Describe the common yellowthroat. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Peter Dunn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yellowthroats are about the size of chickadees. They are one of the most common warblers, and they have a big yellow throat and breast (which is also known as a bib). That\u2019s one of their ornaments. And they also have a black mask in the male that covers the face \u2014 we sometimes call them the \u201cZorro bird\u201d because of that black mask. The females are relatively nondescript \u2014 they don\u2019t have as much yellow and it\u2019s not as bright.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re very common down throughout North America. They\u2019re mostly down in Mexico in the winter. And they breed in the United States and southern Canada. They like marshy areas and they have a song that\u2019s pretty familiar to bird-watchers.<\/p>\n

How does your study help us better understand these songbirds?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It helps us understand why birds are so attractive-looking. On one level, it also helps us understand how evolution works in terms of understanding why some creatures have these crazy-looking ornaments and traits. It\u2019s going to satisfy our curiosity in several ways.<\/p>\n

Is the backyard the best place to start birding?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure! You can see lot of cool things in your backyard. I\u2019ve had some really weird things in my backyard. A couple years ago, I had a Townsend\u2019s solitaire, a bird that\u2019s only found in Colorado and further west, and it liked the juniper berries on the tree in my backyard. I just put out a notice on the local bird-watching network over email that I had this bird in my backyard, and I had dozens of people coming to see this bird. You can see some really cool things sometimes.<\/p>\n

But yes, bird feeders are good. The other thing to get started is to look at the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology<\/a> webpage. They have a whole bunch of field trips, so I would suggest people go on some field trips and meet people who are more experienced, and can help identify things. There\u2019s also the Audubon societies around town and the Urban Ecology Center \u2014 they all have field trips, so that would be a good way to get started.<\/p>\n

Field trips are fun because you meet other people, and birding is a social thing, to a large extent. You get to share the excitement of seeing a new bird for the first time. \u2026 And get one of those apps from Cornell<\/a> or Audubon<\/a>, and a pair of binoculars. That would really help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On this episode of Curious Campus, UWM distinguished professor Peter Dunn talks about birding and his research into the common yellowthroat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40008,"featured_media":106835,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,175],"tags":[],"section":[139,143],"display_categories":[115,116],"related-coverage":[337,338],"uwmnews-feed":[158],"class_list":["post-106834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research","section-science-technology","section-water-environment","display_categories-top-story-secondary","display_categories-top-story-section","related-coverage-curious-campus","related-coverage-research","uwmnews-feed-letters-science"],"yoast_head":"\nFor songbirds, bigger or brighter might be better<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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