SLQ1 operates at ER–plasma membrane contact sites, running a pathway that opposes the LAZY auxin gradient. Wild-type gravitropism integrates both; their relative strengths set the growth angle! S149F breaks SLQ1 oligomerization, flipping the balance. Yoshihara & Spalding, PNAS 2025.

Please keep a list of obvious NZ omissions, especially if they were vocal enough to make you wish you had been able to recognize them. I'll refresh the NZ pack just as soon as I finish the 60-bird Europe pack I'm working on now.

In case you want more on gasdermin structures!

Recent cryo-EM structures reveal fungal gasdermins form heteromeric pores; unique for gasdermins. Signal transduction runs through amyloid scaffolds - same strategy as the mammalian necrosome - and fungal NLRs display 14+ distinct effector domain architectures. That's a lot of structural diversity.

The first candidate genes for structural blue in any bird were only ID'd in 2024, in Australian fairywrens. ASIP controls melanin; SCUBE2 may shape the feather nanostructure itself. Both are conserved across birds.

This Science of Birds podcast was chock-full of interesting stuff. I'm gonna listen to it again now!

Definitely wasn't expecting an osprey post to eventually lead me over to founders.archives.gov, but here we are.

Franklin was subtweeting G. Washington's org. in a private letter to his daughter. The Society of the Cincinnati still exists 242 years later as a "harmless historical society." (?) The eagle became one of the most recognizable national symbols on Earth. His critique didn't age great. #coolstorybro

Bald Eagles regularly steal fish from Osprey (kleptoparasitism). Why evolve plunge-diving when you can bully the specialist? Re: making the eagle our national bird, Ben Franklin criticized this behavior in a letter, calling it “a bird of bad moral character.” #nocomment

Bald Eagles catch fish too, but differently. Three toes forward, one back, massive curved talons, crushing grip. They snatch from the surface and rarely submerge. Full immersion is risky for a heavy bird. Osprey plunge feet-first, sometimes fully underwater. Specialist vs powerful generalist. #BAEA

You HEARD the kiwi! :)

Heath-Acre et al. 2023, Wildlife Society Bulletin. They flew 102 nuthatches from Arkansas to Missouri's Ozarks in cardboard mailing tubes on small planes. 25-day survival: 56-68%. Nests confirmed in subsequent years. The species was extirpated by early 1900s logging.

Cornell's Living Bird has the best feature write-up if you want the full story: "Brown-headed Nuthatches Return to Missouri's Ozark Mountains After 100 Years"

Update: a third round of 95 birds was released in August 2024, bringing the total to ~197. By fall 2024, an unbanded nuthatch was found 30 miles from the release site - meaning it was born in Missouri. First wild-born generation confirmed.

The backstory: logging wiped out millions of acres of shortleaf pine from Missouri's Ozarks. Since 2012, Mark Twain National Forest has restored ~100,000 acres. But nuthatches are weak fliers -- they couldn't cross the 300-mile gap from Arkansas on their own. So biologists brought them.

Awesome! I love a challenge combined with a compelling use case. I'll get back to you once I've had a chance to add some Deutsch-speaking avian friends to the app!

New Zealand is in there too, ya know!

Coming right up! www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/...

Ha! Indeed! What's your need-to-know group of birds? I'll add them next!