Two new papers on the wild Gouldian finches are out this week – both led by past PhD student, James Brazill-Boast.One paper, published in Evolutionary Ecology, shows that wild red males defend higher-quality nest sites and suffered higher competition from both conspecifics and heterospecifics, but they also reared more fledglings than black males.
Another long-term study, published in Austral Ecology, shows that reproduction in wild Gouldian finches is limited by the availability of nest-sites, and that using artificial nest-boxes is an effective management tool for increasing both population densities and individual success in this endangered species.PDF’s of the papers can be found on the Publications page.
While heading out early to one of the finch sites, a 2m freshwater crocodile was sighted by Cat Young (PhD student) and Fiona Finch (volunteer – and, yes, that is her real surname!) jumping from the division dam bridge in Kununurra into the lake. The photo (taken by Fi) made the front pages of the local newspaper, The Kimberley Echo.
Catherine Young has recently started a PhD looking at the relative costs and fitness benefits of aggression in a highly aggressive colonial-nesting bird – the crimson finch (also know as ‘red devils’ and ‘blood finches’ – and not just because of their fiery red coloration!).
Our large-scale nest-box project for Gouldian finches (with photo featuring new PhD student Cat Young) got an honorable mention in the Conservation Category of the Australian Birdlife Photo competition. Thanks to Adrian Martins for taking some great photos! Continue reading Birdlife – honourable mention in Conservation Category
Here’s a video by the Discovery Channel for their programme Ziyalogy, which illustrates (with some very cool animations!) that fear can be innate. It features some of our recent work on Gouldian finches showing that juveniles have innate fear of red. It’s pretty entertaining….
Some of the media reports on our recently published paper in Biology Letters, which experimentally demonstrated visual lateralization in mate choice. Gouldian finches appear to only use their right eye in selecting mates; when their right eye is covered (with a patch), birds are no longer able to reliably choose mates.
A field assistant is needed to help Catherine with a project investigating aggression in crimson finches. Field work will be conducted in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia from January to April 2013 (specific dates may vary). This is the wet season in the tropics and temperatures may reach 40oC with very high humidity. Volunteers will be involved with catching and banding birds, locating and monitoring nests, behavioural observations, re-sighting colour bands, habitat assessment and data entry. Continue reading Volunteer field assistant: Aggression in colonial finches
Several volunteers are needed to help Maddy with her PhD research on the tawny dragon lizard Ctenophorus decresii, a small agamid lizard. Male dragons found in the Flinders Ranges are seen in four different colour forms. She is investigating if colour types differ in ways additional to their colour and how such diversity is maintained within a population. The work involves catching the lizards, performing behavioural trials, estimating territory size and assessing physiological differences. Continue reading Field volunteer opportunity in the Flinders Ranges (SA)
Some of the media reports on our recently published paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences), which showed that female parrot finches can and do adjust the sex of their offspring to adaptively match them to the expected quality of the rearing environment. Continue reading Mothers adjust offspring sex to match the quality of the rearing environment
From Here to Ear, by French artist Celeste Boursier-Mougenot, is an art installation using 60 Gouldian, zebra and crimson finches in the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. Continue reading A little birdie says this is art….
A few of the media reports on our recently published paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences) that shows the huge stress responses of females that are constrained to breeding with incompatible (genetically dud males).
On the Gouldian front it is a pretty quiet time of the year in the Kimberley, but a project on a new study species in the area has just started…. the frillneck lizard! Continue reading Frillneck lizard project commences
An article in the Kimberley Echo on the work by Honours student, Dhanya Pearce, who used stuffed Gouldian and long-tailed finches to look at aggression between the species over competition for nest sites. Continue reading Feathers fly in finch war
It seems that zebra finches are not only a model system for biologists – but are also an inspiration for artists. Recently Céleste Boursier-Mougenot presented a major new commission at The Barbican (London) to highlight how the rhythms of daily life can produce sound in unexpected ways. Continue reading Finch Rock ‘n Roll
An enthusiastic and capable volunteer field assistant is required for a research project on frillneck lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii) in Wyndham, Western Australia. This project will form part of a PhD study in tropical northern Australia on the evolution of colour in the frill. Fieldwork will involve….. Continue reading Field Volunteer Needed for Frillneck Lizard Study in the Kimberley (WA)
