Birds in an Ecological Web

One great way to learn about nature and biology is to study birds. There are many species of birds, both resident and migratory, and they all have their own habits, colors, songs, and ways of life. The popularity of birdwatching has skyrocketed in the US, especially during the pandemic. This seminar will describe one way to look at birds, and to learn about their ecology, evolution, and diversity. We start by focusing on birds’ feeding habits and food preferences. Many birds have to eat and forage constantly, in order to stay alive and to feed their offspring. From this starting point we can then trace and understand all sorts of additional aspects of birds, including (but not limited to) their beaks, their colors, their songs, and their mating systems. We will talk about bird species both local and from South America, particularly from Brazil and from the Galapagos Islands