Avian Ecology and Conservation

Catalog description

This course will be an interactive discussion focused on avian ecology, behavior, and conservation that will also touch on some fundamental physiological and neurological processes underlying the lives of many species of birds. Topics such as sexual selection, reproduction, song learning and function, migration, effects of climate change, and approaches to conservation and management will be covered. The course will be based on a mixture of traditional textbook readings and critical evaluation of peer-reviewed literature. Classes will consist of short lectures, group discussions, student presentations, and learning to identify local bird species by sight and sound. The class will go on a Saturday or Sunday field trip to the Bronx Zoo to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo's bird collection and bird exhibits, go on a birding walk along the Bronx River to look for spring migrants, and receive a field demonstration of mist-netting and bird banding.