Wilson Ornithological Society
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wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
Wilson Ornithological Society
@wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
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News and updates from the Wilson Ornithological Society, an international scientific society for professional and amateur bird nerds. 🐦
https://wilsonsociety.org/
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wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
From the current WJO issue: Insect richness in the stomach of a Nacunda Nighthawk (Chordeiles nacunda). #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
Graphic abstract for easy visualization of the insect abundance and diversity found in the stomach of a Chordeiles nacunda. Pictured: stomach contents before preservation in ethanol 70%. A dashed pink circle highlights one of the 40 adult giant water bugs (Belostoma sp., Belostomatidae). Individuals of a giant water bug (Belostomatidae), a grasshopper (acrididae), and one Coleoptera accessioned in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo entomological collection are also pictured (lower right).
November 26, 2025 at 8:03 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
To those in the U.S., we wish you a happy Turkey Day tomorrow! 🦃
Did You Know? Researchers documented a determined female Wild Turkey in Arizona continuing to incubate her eggs despite repeated encounters with predatory black bears, foxes, and coatis. Fyffe, N., Smallwood, A., Oleson, B., Chamberlain, M. J., & Collier, B. A. (2018). Nesting perseverance by a female Gould’s Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) under multiple direct predation threats. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 130(4), 1041–1047.
November 26, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
bou.org.uk
Temperature predictability and introduction history affect the expression of genes regulating DNA methylation in a globally distributed songbird | doi.org/10.1002/jav.... | Journal of Avian Biology | #ornithology 🪶
Temperature predictability and introduction history affect the expression of genes regulating DNA methylation in a globally distributed songbird
Phenotypic plasticity is a major mechanism whereby organisms adjust their traits within-generations to changes in environmental conditions. In the context of range expansions, plasticity is thought t...
doi.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
birdguides.bsky.social
A previously unknown species of hawk-cuckoo has been described from Borneo:
New hawk-cuckoo species described from Borneo
A previously unknown species of hawk-cuckoo has been described from Borneo. The newly recognised taxa was previously considered a population of Dark Hawk-Cuckoo, which is found in Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. Bornean birds principally differ from that species (and the closely related Large Hawk-Cuckoo) by their unique three-syllabled main song.
bit.ly
November 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
WOS Research Grant recipient Shelby McCahon's research on migrating Lesser Yellowlegs shows that maintaining native grassland buffers around wetlands may mitigate some of the negative effects of agriculture on these birds. #ornithology
Guest Post – From Farm to Feather: How Agriculture Impacts Migratory Shorebirds
“Should I stay, or should I go?” This is a question that every migratory bird has when deciding how long to stay at a site to rest and refuel.
wilsonsociety.org
November 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
bird-photography.bsky.social
A Black Turnstone stands on mussel-covered rocks as water droplets from a crashing wave surround it

📷 Canon R5
Canon RF100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM
M, f/7.1, 1/320, ISO 800, 500mm
4/13/25

Northern Oregon Coast

#birds #bird #photography #ornithology #birdphotos #nature #naturephotography

🦉 🪶
Water droplets fly around in the air surrounding a medium-sized bird. The bird stands on a rock covered in small sea creatures, mostly tiny black mussels. The bird's belly is white and the rest of its body is dark brown with a pattern of mottled white mixed in.
November 25, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
birdlifemarine.bsky.social
The Seabird Tracking Database has been updated!

With lots of new features, these updates improve user experience and ensure dataset legacy

To learn more visit
➡️ seabirdtracking.org/seabird-trac...

and go to data.seabirdtracking.org to try out the new search and mapping features!
November 25, 2025 at 3:29 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
From the current WJO issue: Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) breeding population on Big Giftun Island in Hurghada Archipelago, Egypt. #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
Sooty Falcons on Big Giftun Island, Egypt: (a) a pair together at nest 1. (b) a Sooty Falcon egg in the scrape at nest 2. (c) An adult flying over the rocky karst ledge shelter at nest 3. (d) An adult flying near the entrance to nest 4.
November 25, 2025 at 3:03 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
From the current issue of the WJO: Range expansion, density, and population estimates of an introduced population of Red-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer) in Houston, Texas (USA). #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
a pair of red-vented bulbuls, gray birds with a patch of red feathers under their tails, perched in a tree
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
dwebstersf.bsky.social
This is one among thousands of Sand Hill Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Some of these birds without borders migrate to Mexico and will hopefully return. Siempre bienvenidos mis amigos!
#birdsoftheworld #birds #aves #birdphotography #wildlife #cranes #nature
November 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
bou.org.uk
NEW on #theBOUblog from Malin Klumpp

At EOU2025: Using genomics to study how birds are moving and redistributing behavioural traits across geographic space

bou.org.uk/blog-klum...

#ornithology 🪶
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
Add this to your to-do list if you work with undergraduates interested in #ornithology: Applications for our Burtt Undergraduate Mentoring Grants, which support research projects by undergraduate-mentor collaborations, are open until February 1! wilsonsociety.org/awards/jed-b...
graphic with photo of juvenile owl, WOS logo, and text "Burtt Undergraduate Mentoring Grant Applications Due February 1!"
November 24, 2025 at 2:02 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
Here's your Friday bird break: Read about how scientists taught parrots and starlings to copy the beeps and boops of R2-D2 to study how accurately different types of birds can mimic sounds. #ornithology
These Birds Learned to Tweet Like R2-D2. Listen to the Uncanny Results
The lovable Star Wars droid is helping to shed light on why some bird species are better at mimicking sounds than others
www.scientificamerican.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
abcbirds.bsky.social
🪁 Meet our sky-surfing bird of the week: the Mississippi Kite — a gray raptor w/ red eyes & wings built to hover mid-air.
🦗 Also called the “hovering kite” and “locust eater,” they feed on flying insects & are vulnerable to pesticides.

Hear their call:
bit.ly/4if1bbE
November 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
rallidaerule.bsky.social
hey that's my paper! With Cheyenne Beach and Jen Koop!

Yay scaup!
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · 6d
From the current WJO issue: Effects of surgically implanted intra-abdominal transmitters with external antennae on egg laying and behavior of captive-reared Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis). #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
photo of a lesser scaup, a duck with a dark head and chest and light body/back, on the surface of the water
November 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
davetoews.bsky.social
I mean, the title says it all: Genetic confirmation of an “uncommon mourningthroat” (Geothlypis philadelphia  ×  G. trichas): A rare but persistent hybrid warbler. Fun stuff with @kevinfpbennett.bsky.social and Kurt Gielow, OA in @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social!
🦉 🧪
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A five panel figure, with four showing photographs of a putative hybrid warbler between a mourning warbler and a common yellowthroat. The final panel shows an illustration of the bird by David Sibley A three panel figure showing the genetic composition of the hybrid and the putative parental species. Two panels show points on a principal components analysis, with the hybrid falling intermediate. The final panel shows bars illustrating genome-wide admixture, with the hybrid having intermediate ancestry between the two.
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
From the current WJO issue: Call mimicry by White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) and implications for call learning in the Passerellidae. #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
Some White-throated Sparrows imitate heterospecific calls among their own calls, with evidence for at least three species imitated. B, D, and F show spectrograms of select call notes from an individual White-throated Sparrow with three species-typical calls followed by three calls apparently mimicking a heterospecific. A, C, and E show six calls from a recording of the mimicked species (i.e., resembling the White-throated Sparrow calls to the right of it).
November 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
From the current WJO issue: Effects of surgically implanted intra-abdominal transmitters with external antennae on egg laying and behavior of captive-reared Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis). #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
photo of a lesser scaup, a duck with a dark head and chest and light body/back, on the surface of the water
November 20, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
deepfrieddna.bsky.social
After being declared extinct twice(!), it was on this day in 1948 that the Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) was rediscovered again. Thanks to intensive conservation work there are now more than 500. www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/tak...
The incredible takahē story
Thought to be extinct not once but twice, the takahē's remarkable story of survival and rediscovery is a testament to the resilience of nature.
www.doc.govt.nz
November 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
bioone.bsky.social
Spotlight on #S2O pilot partner Waterbirds from @waterbirdsociety.bsky.social, which specializes in the #biology, status, #ecology, management #and conservation of all #waterbird species worldwide.

Discover more: bio-one.co/cowa
Learn about S2O: bio-one.co/s2o

#AcademicSky #BirdSky #Ornithology
BioOne. Subscribe to Open. Featured Journal: Waterbirds. Journal cover featuring two birds in flight over a body of water.
November 20, 2025 at 4:20 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
WOS members: Have you renewed your membership for 2026 yet? If not, check your email (including your spam filter) for a reminder and renewal instructions!
photo of a pelican, with a speech bubble added saying "Have YOU renewed your WOS membership yet?"
November 20, 2025 at 4:02 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
"Many of the landscapes [migrating shorebirds] once relied on to rest and refuel have been transformed. Living in the Midwest, I have witnessed some of these changes just within my lifetime. These experiences have inspired me to conserve the remaining habitats for birds and other wildlife."
Guest Post – From Farm to Feather: How Agriculture Impacts Migratory Shorebirds
“Should I stay, or should I go?” This is a question that every migratory bird has when deciding how long to stay at a site to rest and refuel.
wilsonsociety.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
commonternproject.bsky.social
There’s such beauty in variety – and the eggs laid by our terns show it too. In our newest paper we try to find patterns in this variety and test how female identity and age, as well as laying order, affect the colour, spottiness, shape, and size of eggs: doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
November 19, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Wilson Ornithological Society
bou.org.uk
Best practice guidance for recreational and professional drones near colonial breeding birds | journals.plos.org/pl... | PLOS One | #ornithology 🪶
November 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM
wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
From the current WJO issue: Estimating Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) occupancy with camera traps. #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...
Photos from Thunder Basin National Grassland Wyoming, USA, 2022. (A) camera exclosure setup (1 × 1 m in size, constructed with T-posts and cage wire fencing). (B) observation of adult Loggerhead Shrike feeding juvenile on the camera exclosure. (C) observation of Loggerhead Shrikes foraging on the ground near the camera exclosure. (D) close-up of a Loggerhead Shrike larder (family acrididae) established on the camera exclosure.
November 19, 2025 at 3:03 PM