The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist

United Kingdom
Same Species, Different Clocks: Migration That Shapes Reproductive Timing in Birds
A Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus) in the fresh light of spring. While this species isn’t featured in the study, it serves as a reminder of how migration and seasonal timing weave together in the lives of birds across latitudes. © Ilya Povalyaev

Same Species, Different Clocks: Migration That Shapes Reproductive Timing in Birds

Why do some birds get ready to breed while others are still preparing to migrate—despite living in the same place? The answer lies in how they sense time.
Breeding and Life-cycles
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist
The Extreme Breeding Ecology of Cliff-nesting Swifts
A Common Swift glides through golden evening light – briefly grounded in its breeding season before returning to a life spent almost entirely in the air. © Marcin Sidelnik

The Extreme Breeding Ecology of Cliff-nesting Swifts

Cliff-nesting swifts defy gravity – and ecological convention. This article explores how these aerial specialists adapted to breed in some of the planet’s most inhospitable vertical landscapes.
Breeding and Life-cycles
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist
Born in Isolation: The Australian Origin of Songbirds
The Superb Lyrebird—an ancient Australian songbird and living symbol of oscine origins – blends mimicry with evolutionary legacy in one of Earth’s oldest avian lineages. © Grigory J. Heaton

Born in Isolation: The Australian Origin of Songbirds

Oscines – true songbirds – make up nearly half of all bird species alive today. A new study confirms that their evolutionary roots trace back to Australia, offering powerful new insight into one of the greatest radiations in avian history.
Evolution and Taxonomy
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist
From Movement to Meaning: A New Era in Bird Tracking
Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa limosa) are among Europe’s most intensively tracked migratory shorebirds. Long-term monitoring has provided critical insights into their migration strategies, site fidelity, and survival – making them emblematic of longitudinal studies in avian ecology. © Attila Szilágyi

From Movement to Meaning: A New Era in Bird Tracking

For decades, tracking devices have told us where birds go. Now, researchers are asking an even more intriguing question: what happens to the birds we track along the way?
Ecology and Behaviour
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist
Routing the Journey: Loop vs. Direct Migrations of East Asian Songbirds
Bright-plumed but elusive in movement – Narcissus Flycatchers help reveal how birds navigate East Asia with surprising route variation. © Natthaphat Chotjuckdikul

Routing the Journey: Loop vs. Direct Migrations of East Asian Songbirds

Tracking ringed birds with miniature geolocators reveals distinctly different migration strategies: clockwise loop migrations in Narcissus Flycatchers and direct routes in Amur Stonechats – highlighting evolutionary, ecological, and conservation implications in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
Movement and Distribution
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist
Rethinking Rarity: The Return of Fox’s Weaver in Uganda
A male Fox’s Weaver in full breeding colours – Uganda’s only endemic bird species, once feared lost, now reclaiming its place in the papyrus wetlands. © Emin Yoğurtcuoğlu

Rethinking Rarity: The Return of Fox’s Weaver in Uganda

New field records of Uganda’s only endemic bird challenge long-held assumptions about its rarity. The Fox’s Weaver isn’t extinct – it’s breeding, and it’s been hiding in overlooked wetlands all along.
Ecology and Behaviour
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist