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1. Bird Genitalia

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.015  

   Brennan, Patricia LR (October 2022, Current biology)
2. The genetics of bird migration

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.008  

   Justen, Hannah; Delmore, Kira E. (October 2022, Current Biology)
3. Space weather disrupts nocturnal bird migration

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306317120  

   Gulson-Castillo, Eric R.; Van Doren, Benjamin M.; Bui, Michelle X.; Horton, Kyle G.; Li, Jing; Moldwin, Mark B.; Shedden, Kerby; Welling, Daniel T.; Winger, Benjamin M. (October 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Space weather, including solar storms, can impact Earth by disturbing the geomagnetic field. Despite the known dependence of birds and other animals on geomagnetic cues for successful seasonal migrations, the potential effects of space weather on organisms that use Earth’s magnetic field for navigation have received little study. We tested whether space weather geomagnetic disturbances are associated with disruptions to bird migration at a macroecological scale. We leveraged long-term radar data to characterize the nightly migration dynamics of the nocturnally migrating North American avifauna over 22 y. We then used concurrent magnetometer data to develop a local magnetic disturbance index associated with each radar station (ΔBmax), facilitating spatiotemporally explicit analyses of the relationship between migration and geomagnetic disturbance. After controlling for effects of atmospheric weather and spatiotemporal patterns, we found a 9 to 17% decrease in migration intensity in both spring and fall during severe space weather events. During fall migration, we also found evidence for decreases in effort flying against the wind, which may represent a depression of active navigation such that birds drift more with the wind during geomagnetic disturbances. Effort flying against the wind in the fall was most reduced under both overcast conditions and high geomagnetic disturbance, suggesting that a combination of obscured celestial cues and magnetic disturbance may disrupt navigation. Collectively, our results provide evidence for community-wide avifaunal responses to geomagnetic disturbances driven by space weather during nocturnal migration. 

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4. A vigilant gliding bird protects plants

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibs.2022.06.008  

   Guo, Baodian; Duan, Shuo; Liu, Fengquan; Fu, Zheng Qing (October 2022, Trends in Biochemical Sciences)
5. A global database of bird nest traits

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02837-1  

   Chia, Stephanie Yuan; Fang, Yi-Ting; Su, Yi-Ting; Tsai, Pei-Yu; Hsieh, Chia; Tsao, Shu-Han; Juang, Jia-Yang; Hung, Chih-Ming; Tuanmu, Mao-Ning (December 2023, Scientific Data)

   Abstract The reproductive success of birds is closely tied to the characteristics of their nests. It is crucial to understand the distribution of nest traits across phylogenetic and geographic dimensions to gain insight into bird evolution and adaptation. Despite the extensive historical documentation on breeding behavior, a structured dataset describing bird nest characteristics has been lacking. To address this gap, we have compiled a comprehensive dataset that characterizes three ecologically and evolutionarily significant nest traits—site, structure, and attachment—for 9,248 bird species, representing all 36 orders and 241 out of the 244 families. By defining seven sites, seven structures, and four attachment types, we have systematically classified the nests of each species using information from text descriptions, photos, and videos sourced from online databases and literature. This nest traits dataset serves as a valuable addition to the existing body of morphological and ecological trait data for bird species, providing a useful resource for a wide range of avian macroecological and macroevolutionary research. 

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