Grassland Bird Trust

[Registration requested here]

Did you know birds can clap, backflip, tango, and inflate themselves? That some build 14 different nests so their mate can choose the one they like best? That some attract a mate using their armpits? Join us for a lively look at bird courtship as Dr. Samantha Carouso Peck describes the weird and wild behaviors of birds from around the world when trying to attract mates, sometimes going so far as to risk their lives in pursuit of love.  Learn about their elaborate songs and dances, acrobatic performances, over-the-top ornamentation, complex nest constructions, nuptial gift-giving, and more! 

 

Speaker Bio: Dr. Peck is an expert in bird communication and cognition, having lived on six different continents in search of interesting birds. She has studied tool use in crows, speech in African Grey Parrots, and vocal learning and development in songbirds. After focusing on Animal Behavior and Communication during her undergraduate studies at Williams College, her doctoral dissertation at Cornell University focused on how young birds use feedback from their parents and peers, in forms invisible to the human eye, to guide their song learning.