The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first to track the migration routes and timing of individual songbirds over multiple years. Researchers outfitted wood thrushes with tiny geolocator “backpacks”, recording data on their movements.

One of the songbirds studied is the wood thrush. Photograph by Kevin Fraser

Spring departure dates of birds heading from the tropics to North American breeding grounds were surprisingly consistent, with a mean difference of only three days from year to year, the study reports. Fall migration, however, was far less predictable. Males on average flew faster than females, and first-timers lagged behind those with more than one journey under their wings.

The geolocators, which are smaller than a dime, are mounted on birds’ backs with thin straps looped around their legs. The devices measure light, allowing researchers to estimate latitude and longitude by recording sunrise and sunset times.

“It’s quite surprising that the schedules of these birds are so consistent across the entire route, with some of them departing the tropics and arriving at breeding sites in North America on the same day in different years,” says study author Kevin Fraser, a postdoctoral Fellow in 91��ɫ’s Department of Biology, . “Much like airplanes, there are many factors that can influence birds’ flight schedules, such as weather at departure and expected conditions at the other end of the journey. Amazingly, these small songbirds are highly consistent in their timing between years.”

Interestingly, while their departure times are precise, songbirds’ migratory routes can vary widely. “Migratory routes sometimes differed by several hundred kilometres between years, which may reflect a fine-tuning of migration in response to wind and weather conditions en route, such as during large open-water crossings like the Gulf of Mexico,” says Fraser.

Wood thrush with geolocator. Image taken in Belize. Photo by �������������ѳ������ԲԴDz�

As for arrival times, birds need to be early to lay their claim to prime breeding grounds – but not too early.

“There is intense pressure for birds to get back to breeding grounds early to secure good territories, nest sites and, of course, mating opportunities. The early birds tend to do better and raise more young. However, cool weather in early spring can reduce food availability and even survival of early birds,” Fraser says. He cautions that songbirds’ consistent timing may come at a cost.

“The concern is that birds may not be able to flexibly adjust their schedules to meet new conditions with climate change,” says Fraser. “This is a topic we’re pursuing in current research.”

The birds Fraser tracked were tagged in Pennsylvania and Costa Rica, at field research sites of his supervisor, 91��ɫ Professor Bridget Stutchbury, who has studied the behavioural ecology of birds for decades. Her 2007 book, Silence of the Songbirds, details the threat to the species posed by climate change and habitat destruction.

“Numbers [of wood thrush] have plummeted in Canada by over 50 percent since the 1960s. When we lose the wood thrush, and other songbirds, we lose an integral part of the forest itself,” Stutchbury says.

The research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), National Geographic Society, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Neotropical Migratory Bird Grant, Kenneth M. Molson Foundation, Schad Foundation and proceeds from Silence of the Songbirds.

The study, “Repeat tracking of individual songbirds reveals consistent migration timing but flexibility in route”, is co-authored by Stutchbury, along with Calandra Stanley, Maggie MacPherson and �������������ѳ������ԲԴDz�, graduate students in 91��ɫ’s Department of Biology, Faculty of Science & Engineering.

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As with previous 91��ɫ Circle Lecture & Lunch events, organizers have planned a full day of inspiring lectures by some of the University’s leading thinkers. For full details, download a PDF of the 91��ɫ Circle schedule.

In her lecture, “The Bird Detective: Investigating the Private Lives of Birds”, 91��ɫ Professor Bridget Stutchbury (left), Canada Research Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology, will explain why some birds readily divorce their partners, why females sneak out to have sex with neighbouring males and why some mothers sometimes desert their babies. Based on her book (2010), this lecture promises to raise the blinds on the secret lives of birds.

On a more serious note, Stutchbury will examine whether bird behaviour can help species adapt to the drastic changes humans are making to the environment. Since the 1980s, Stutchbury has studied the ecology and conservation of migratory songbirds. In addition to The Bird Detective, she is author of the book (2007) – a finalist for a Governor General’s Literary Award.

"The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, the African, and the Abolition of the British Slave Trade" is the intriguing title of the presentation by 91��ɫ history Professor Paul Lovejoy (right), Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History and director of the . In his lecture, Lovejoy will explore the pivotal role of Gustavus Vassa, better known by his African name, Olaudah Equiano (c. 1742-1797), in advancing the abolition of the British slave trade. Many scholars consider William Wilberforce (c. 1759-1833) and Thomas Clarkson (c. 1760-1846) to be the pioneers of the British abolitionist movement, but Lovejoy posits that it was Equiano who was the seminal influence in advocating the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of those in slavery.

Lovejoy is a member of the executive committee of the UNESCO “Slave Route” Project, co-edits African Economic History and Studies in the History of the African Diaspora – Documents (SHADD), and is research professor and associate fellow of the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.

Acclaimed Canadian poet and 91��ɫ Professor (left) will discuss her experiences as Canadian Athletes Now Fund’s first poet-in-residence during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games. In her lecture, which is aptly titled, "My Gold Medal Experience: Olympic Poetry", Uppal will describe how she celebrated with the Canadian athletes and their families by writing poetry about winter sports, the games, and the personalities and performances that captured a nation’s imagination.

How she designed and then “trained” for her position, how the athletes responded to daily poetry readings, and other initiatives she’s undertaken to bridge the sometimes separate worlds of sport and art, will all be addressed. In addition, Uppal will read a short selection of the some of the 50 poems written at the games and recently collected in the book Winter Sport: Poems (2010).

"A World of Suburbs? Finding the Heart of the Urban Century in the Periphery" with 91��ɫ environmental studies Professor Roger Keil (right) will offer 91��ɫ Circle members insights into urbanization. The 21st century has been heralded as an urban century. Indeed, urbanization is now the most tangible shared experience of humanity. Keil will explore what is behind the story of the "urban revolution". He will uncover an important and perhaps astonishing truth: Most urban dwellers now live in the periphery. From the squatter settlements of the Global South to the wealthy gated communities of North America, from the tower block peripheries of Europe or Canada to the newly sprawling cities of Asia, a common theme emerges: where cities grow, they grow at the margins.

Keil is the director of the City Institute at 91��ɫ and professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Among his publications are In-Between Infrastructure: Urban Connectivity in an Age of Vulnerability (2010) and The Global Cities Reader (2006). Keil’s current research is on global suburbanism and regional governance. He is the co-editor of the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research and a co-founder of the International Network for Urban Research and Action.

This free series includes two events annually – in the spring and fall each year – and provides opportunities for learning and networking in a relaxed environment.

Lecture & Lunch events are open to members of the 91��ɫ Circle and their guests, each of whom are offered a complimentary lunch sourced from 91��ɫ Region as part of the day.

The 91��ɫ Circle receives generous support from 91��ɫ's Alumni Office (program partner) and the Toronto Community News and Metroland Media Group 91��ɫ Region (print media sponsors).

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Stutchbury is one of 91��ɫ's 28 Canada Research Chairs. The program celebrates its November 24 and 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre through a two-day conference featuring the research of Canada's best and brightest minds.

Professor , Canada Research Chair in the , is participating in the plenary discussion, "Thinking Ahead: What Will Canada Look Like in 2050?", on November 24.

Professor Janine Marchessault, Canada Research Chair in , is participating in the Art, Technology and Society panel November 25.

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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A at 91��ɫ, Stutchbury says the Canadian bird population has been declining by one to two per cent a year since the mid-1960s. She cited pesticide use and deforestation as a couple of the problems, and singled out the practice of forest clearing for coffee plantations as one of the primary concerns – another reason to support shade-grown coffee.

But far-off coffee plantations aren't the only problem. The same day the story on Stutchbury ran, NB Power advertised its 2010 herbicide application program on its transmission line rights-of-ways.

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“Both at the provincial level, and even at the national level, you have dozens of species of songbirds that are in serious decline,” says Bridget Stutchbury, author of Silence of the Songbirds and : Investigating the Secret Lives of Birds.

Stutchbury, in 91��ɫ’s , was scheduled to be in Fredericton on Thursday to deliver a public lecture on the severity and the impact of the province’s songbird decline.

Stutchbury said the causes for the decline are plentiful. Pesticide use and deforestation are two. Coffee is one of the biggest culprits in the case of migratory birds, she said, because forests are cleared to make way for the coffee plantations, pushing the birds out of their refuges. “The sun-grown coffee is grown the way we would grow corn, completely out in the open in these massive fields. Row after row after row of coffee plants and not a tree in sight,” Stutchbury said.

Switching from sun-grown coffee to shade-grown coffee that’s grown in the forest would be a step in the right direction, she said. Reducing pesticide use and encouraging sustainable logging practices are other ways to stop the decline.

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In her latest novel, The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood invents new animals to entertain us and get across her concerns about environmental and social collapse.

. . .

In The Bird Detective: Investigating the Secret Lives of Birds, Bridget Stutchbury, Distinguished Research Professor of Biology in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering and author of the Governor-General’s Literary Award-nominated Silence of the Songbirds, also uses animals to illustrate the effect humankind is having on nature. And she does it very effectively without Atwood’s black wit and disturbing scenarios.

The Bird Detective, in fact, is a cheery little book. Stutchbury delights readers with hundreds of amazing facts and stories about birds, mostly songbirds, which serve to make it all the more tragic that climate change, habitat loss, pesticide use, long-line fishing and other environmental sins are mixing up extraordinary behaviours that have evolved over thousands of years.

The complete review is .

The book was also reviewed by May 7:

As the outdoor reading season opens, Bridget Stutchbury’s new, informal work on bird behaviour, The Bird Detective: Investigating the Secret Life of Birds, just begs to be read under a backyard tree. The book could serve as beach reading too; marine birds such as the albatross and rhinoceros auklet put in appearances. But Stutchbury, a biologist in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, has done much of her research on songbirds, and tales of their behaviour form the heart of the book.

Stutchbury examines big issues in the family life of any species – courtship, kids, infidelity and so on – and describes relevant research projects. Some examples come from her own work with her husband, evolutionary biologist Gene Morton, and some from other scientists.

Behind-the-scenes details set the book apart from typical wildlife guides. In one vignette, Stutchbury recalls conveying nestlings to and from weighing sessions by climbing ladders while clenching paper bags of baby birds in her teeth. The book takes a conversational approach to research, yet Stutchbury packs in a good number of intriguing findings while presenting the science clearly.

The complete .

The Bird Detective was published by April 16.

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Figuring out bird habits are all in a day's work for Stutchbury. Montreal-born, Toronto-raised, she is an internationally renowned researcher and author. Her previous book, , was a finalist for the . Among her achievements, she and colleagues were the first to figure out how to track songbirds as they migrate, by fitting them with tiny backpacks containing sensors weighing less than a dime.

With her husband, fellow ornithologist Gene Morton, Stutchbury adventures around the world tracking birds. She's hacked her way through a tropical forest with a machete. Attacks by killer bees are part of her job description.

"There are many events in my life that, I have to confess, are a bit unusual," she says.

We tracked her down at her university office in Toronto to find out more about life as a bird detective.

Her Daily Routine

She wakes up at dawn, a childhood habit and a very good trait in an ornithologist. During the winter, she teaches at the university and keeps a routine typical of many working mothers. But the summer is anything but typical. The family relocates to their farm/laboratory in Pennsylvania where she spends her days stalking birds through the forest for hours at a time, carrying a long net and wearing a radio attached to her belt.

Her Kids' Reaction To Her Work

"They've been hearing (about birds' sex lives) since they were born. Even before they could walk, they've been dragged along on various expeditions. . . . As they become teenagers, they are probably a little embarrassed about it, but they understand the tongue-in-cheek aspects. My kids know from hearing me talk to my husband that when we get talking in scientific terms, it can be deadly dull."

Advice For Would-Be Ornithologists

Invite birds into your yard, small as it may be. The key? Pay attention to the little things.

"I'm always looking and listening," she says.

Her Thoughts On Climate Change

Climate change, overuse of pesticides and increasing urbanization are hurting birds and they are changing their habits to survive. For instance, warmer temperatures are throwing migration patterns out of whack, threatening the survival of some species.

She cites one study that found a 2.8 C increase in surface temperature would result in 500 land bird extinctions by 2100, with two thousand species at risk of extinction.

But she takes an optimistic view about the future:

"I do believe that a green revolution is underway and that the tide has turned in the last five to 10 years," she says. "I think we've hit and passed the tipping point when it comes to people's attitudes on environmental sustainability."

Her Conservation Tips

"Reduce, reuse, recycle. Use paper products from post-consumer recycled material. Ensure that your papers and wood products have FSC certification (a labelling system that indicates products come from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources). I'm a big fan of consumers taking action because you can see the results of your efforts right away."

On Coffee

She recommends buying organic, fair-trade coffee from traditional small coffee farms. These farms refrain from pesticides and support preservation of tropical trees. In future, as researchers learn more about bird migration, we might be able to buy our coffee from South American farms that are known to be the winter homes of Canadian songbirds.

The complete article is available on the .

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wrote:

It’s not all love in the avian world, where divorce, child abandonment and marrying up are part of everyday life.

, to be published in Canada this week, dispels the lovebird myth that birds pair up for life, and paints a picture instead that includes adultery and the pursuit of comfort.

“In terms of top 10 myths about birds, the permanent pair bonds that we think about, that does occur for some birds, but for most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,” said Stutchbury.

The book draws on 20 years of research from radio tracking and DNA testing and shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilizing females far away from their home nests, and female blue-headed vireos premeditating divorce by checking out new mates before they abandon their young.

Stutchbury, who has studied dozens of songbird species in Canada, the United States and Panama, said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully fledged so they can quickly find new mates and lay more eggs. That leaves the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.

Males can triple or quadruple their reproductive success by fertilizing neighbouring females, but only “mates” care for the young, and some are none the wiser. “They can’t tell when the egg hatches whether it’s theirs or not,” she said. “They have no way to know.”

Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 per cent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross.

The wrote:

Who knew birds could be so bad?

A new book from Bridget Stutchbury shows they cheat on each other, and their relationships often end in divorce. As well, some parent birds favour one offspring over another. “There are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,” Stutchbury said in a release about her book The Bird Detective.

“One hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.” Another theory is birds, like humans, realize they can do better: One initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

The 91��ɫ biology professor – who was a 2007 Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction finalist for her book Silence of the Songbirds – and post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden looked at how female Acadian flycatchers were being fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away.

“We had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,” Stutchbury said.

Stutchbury, who is among 91��ɫ's Distinguished Research Professors, is a faculty member in the in 91��ɫ’s . She holds a .

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She is the author of and , which was a finalist for the .

Stutchbury will explain why so many species of songbirds are threatened by habitat loss and pesticides, how their songs are altered by human pollution and how people can make the world safer for songbirds.

Information about the Stratford event is available .

April 29 , at 7:30pm at the Toronto Botanical Garden.

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In , Bridget Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book, published by , hits shelves April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, also explains how understanding birds’ behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Using radio-tracking technology, Stutchbury and 91��ɫ post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden solved a mystery that had puzzled biologists: how were female Acadian flycatchers getting fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away?

“We had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,” Stutchbury says.

Divorce is a regular part of life for almost all birds; most live with one partner for only a few months or years, depending on the species. Annual divorce rates range from 99 percent in the Greater Flamingo to zero in the Wandering Albatross.

“There are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,” Stutchbury says. “One hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.” Another theory is that birds, like humans, realize they can do better: one pair member initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

Left: Bridget Stutchbury

As in humans, divorce can take its toll on offspring, creating a situation where one partner is left to care for eggs or young. “In the worst-case scenario, birds may abandon the breeding attempt and leave the offspring to die in favour of starting over with a new, better partner,” Stutchbury says.

Birds are also known to exhibit favouritism when it comes to their young. They must invest more effort into raising sons, as males are larger and require more food.

“We see birds providing extra food and care to one gender of offspring over another, depending on environmental circumstances,” says Stutchbury. In ye

ars where food is plentiful, some birds may raise male hatchlings exclusively.

In The Bird Detective, Stutchbury also gives a first-hand account of how she and her team became the first researchers in the world to track migratory songbirds from breeding to wintering grounds. Last winter, she published a paper in the journal showing the tiny birds’ astonishing speed in migration, finding that they fly three times faster than previously suspected.

Stutchbury emphasizes that these aspects of behaviour aren’t mere curiosities: they’re crucial puzzle pieces that will help researchers protect birds from threats like climate change, habitat destruction, and other environmental concerns.

“There’s truly a pressing need for behavioural research – otherwise there’s no way for us to know how to best protect species.”

A book launch for The Bird Detective will take place Thursday April 29, at 7:30pm at .

Stutchury is also the author of , which was a finalist for the .

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer, with photos courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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