Small Eggs, Big Trade-offs: How Shorebirds Balance Clutch Size and Climate Risk
A Little Ringed Plover nest with two eggs, highlighting how some shorebirds may reduce clutch size in response to environmental stress or resource limitations. © Gyorgy Szimuly
Breeding and Life-cycles

Small Eggs, Big Trade-offs: How Shorebirds Balance Clutch Size and Climate Risk

Why do some birds lay fewer, larger eggs? Shorebirds breeding in extreme environments have evolved surprising strategies to balance energy, risk, and reproductive success.

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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
The Sanctuary in the Sidewalk: Trees Rescue Birds in Mexico’s Cities
City trees offer shelter and song: House Finches are among the adaptable species thriving in Mexico’s urban nature pockets. © Braxton Landsman

The Sanctuary in the Sidewalk: Trees Rescue Birds in Mexico’s Cities

Even in the heart of a city, a tree can be a sanctuary for birds. A new study from Mexico reveals that urban trees do far more than provide shade – they offer critical nesting and foraging habitats for native species under pressure from habitat loss elsewhere.
Ecology and Behaviour
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist