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Field biology is an area of research that involves working directly with living organisms in situ through a practice known as “fieldwork.” Conducting fieldwork often requires complex logistical planning within multiregional or multinational teams, interacting with local communities at field sites, and collaborative research led by one or a few of the core team members. However, existing power imbalances stemming from geopolitical history, discrimination, and professional position, among other factors, perpetuate inequities when conducting these research endeavors. After reflecting on our own research programs, we propose four general principles to guide equitable, inclusive, ethical, and safe practices in field biology: be collaborative, be respectful, be legal, and be safe. Although many biologists already structure their field programs around these principles or similar values, executing equitable research practices can prove challenging and requires careful consideration, especially by those in positions with relatively greater privilege. Based on experiences and input from a diverse group of global collaborators, we provide suggestions for action-oriented approaches to make field biology more equitable, with particular attention to how those with greater privilege can contribute. While we acknowledge that not all suggestions will be applicable to every institution or program, we hope that they will generate discussions and provide a baseline for training in proactive, equitable fieldwork practices. 

Abstract The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) was a key biogeographic event in the history of the Americas. The rising of the Panamanian land bridge ended the isolation of South America and ushered in a period of dispersal, mass extinction, and new community assemblages, which sparked competition, adaptation, and speciation. Diversification across many bird groups, and the elevational zonation of others, ties back to events triggered by the GABI. But the exact timing of these events is still being revealed, with recent studies suggesting a much earlier time window for faunal exchange, perhaps as early as 20 million years ago (Mya). Using a time‐calibrated phylogenetic tree, we show that the jay genusCyanolycais emblematic of bird dispersal trends, with an early, pre‐land bridge dispersal from Mesoamerica to South America 6.3–7.3 Mya, followed by a back‐colonization ofC. cucullatato Mesoamerica 2.3–4.8 Mya, likely after the land bridge was complete. AsCyanolycaspecies came into contact in Mesoamerica, they avoided competition due to a prior shift to lower elevation in the ancestor ofC. cucullata. This shift allowedC. cucullatato integrate itself into the Mesoamerican highland avifauna, which our time‐calibrated phylogeny suggests was already populated by higher‐elevation, congeneric dwarf‐jays (C. argentigula,C. pumilo,C. mirabilis, andC. nanus). The outcome of these events and fortuitous elevational zonation was thatC. cucullatacould continue colonizing new highland areas farther north during the Pleistocene. Resultingly, fourC. cucullatalineages became isolated in allopatric, highland regions from Panama to Mexico, diverging in genetics, morphology, plumage, and vocalizations. At least two of these lineages are best described as species (C. mitrataandC. cucullata). Continued study will further document the influence of the GABI and help clarify how dispersal and vicariance shaped modern‐day species assemblages in the Americas.