There were ten sparrow species and their subspecies that the team found to enjoy the salt marshes that are located along the North American Gulf Coasts, and they looked at more than one thousand three hundred individual birds. When measuring the individual birds and looking at their bills, along with the temperatures where they reside, it has been recorded that the size of their bills were determined by this feature as well, as their bills assisted them to regulate their body heat during the soaring temperatures of the summer. The higher the average summer temperature of a specific region, the bigger the bills were on the birds. To release their body heat, it was determined that the birds are able to transfer blood into the tissue that is found in their bills and from there the heat is expelled into the air. Therefore the bigger the bill on the bird, the more heat is able to be released into the air.

This was confirmed by comparing the birds in the different areas, as the birds living in the cooler marsh areas have smaller bills than those living in higher temperatures. Leader of the research team and director of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Russ Greenberg, commented that is has been known that in animals, such as rabbits and seals, blood is able to be increased to the extremities of animals that are not well insulated, but now it is known that birds are able to cool down their body temperature through their bills, as well as retain their body moisture, which they so desperately need in such high temperatures. The team is now continuing their research with Brock University physiologists, trying to form a more detailed database by using thermal imaging.

Related posts:

1. The Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nestwatch
2. Scrubfowl and their Spectacular Nests
3. Monitoring Your Bird’s Body Condition

Established and directed by Dr. Peter P. Marra of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington, DC, the Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nestwatch opens up opportunities for ordinary citizens to get involved in a nationwide program by being biologists in their own backyards. Participants in the program will gain an in-depth understanding of birds in their neighborhood, while assisting scientists to gather crucial information with regard to the survival of backyard bird populations.

Efforts to asses the state of backyard bird populations focuses on finding the answers to two main questions. Firstly, how successful are backyard bird nests? Secondly, how long do backyard birds live? Neighborhood Nestwatch volunteers work along with scientists in finding occupied bird nests and then monitoring the nests over a period of time, recording and reporting their observations. Scientists are keen to compare the success rates between nests which are found in urban, suburban and rural backyards. Additionally, researchers from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center have been marking individual birds with combinations of colored plastic leg bands. Citizen scientists are required to keep on the lookout for these banded birds and report their sightings. More than 3,700 birds have been banded, with over 420 sightings being reported in subsequent years.

Analysis of preliminary data collected by Neighborhood Nestwatch participants suggests that cavity-nesting birds, such as house wrens and chickadees, have higher nesting success. It is thought that the main reason for this may be that cavity nests are more protected from predators. These birds also lay larger clutches of eggs than their open-cup nesting neighbors, but they make fewer nesting attempts per season. Birds with long nesting seasons, such as cardinals and robins, lay small clutches and have a fairly low rate of nesting success.

Sadly, our modern environment often has a negative effect on birds. For example, even though lead is no longer a component in gasoline, birds are still being affected by lead from years ago which has accumulated in soil and plant life in urban and suburban environments. Even minute amounts of lead in a bird’s system can lead to reduced weight gain for nestlings, as well as reduced ability to sustain essential metabolic functions due to organ damage. Ongoing research in this regard will no doubt reveal the impact that an increasingly urbanized world will have on bird populations and other wildlife.

The Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nestwatch has learned a great deal about backyard birds in Washington, DC, in a project which is encouraging entire families to work as a team in fulfilling their observation tasks. Neighborhood Nestwatch participants are gaining valuable insight into the role that birds play in the environment – and having a whole lot of fun in the process.

Related posts:

1. Bird Banding
2. Official Migratory Bird Havens Now Available in East End Parks
3. Alien Predators Outsmarted by Birds