How do small birds survive harsh winters?

Dr. Carrie Branch is a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Branch is fascinated by the great diversity of signals animals use to communicate and studies how the environment shapes this variation, specifically related to cognitive abilities and communication signals in birds. Dr. Branch teaches courses in Animal Behavior, Animal Communication, and Animal Cognition, where she aims to engage students in discussions on scientific research. When she’s not chasing chickadees around the forest, she enjoys stand-up comedy and hiking with her two dogs!

Dr. Branch will discuss strategies animals use to survive winter when they don’t migrate and share some exciting results from a long-term research project in the Sierra Nevada mountains showing that natural selection acts on the spatial cognitive abilities of Mountain Chickadees.

MEMBERS ONLY – REGISTRATION REQUIRED – PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND IN PERSON IF YOU ARE UNWELL.