The Shape of the Bird Tree: A Global Phylogeny of 11,000 Species
The Tibetan Sandgrouse is a high-altitude specialist from one of branches of the vast evolutionary tree uniting 11,000 bird species. © Rajkumar Das
Evolution and Taxonomy

The Shape of the Bird Tree: A Global Phylogeny of 11,000 Species

A new global bird tree maps the evolutionary relationships of ~11,000 species, offering powerful tools for research and conservation planning.

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Evolution or Plasticity? What the Hermit Thrush Reveals About Climate Change
Long regarded as stable, the Hermit Thrush now reveals how environmental change can leave measurable imprints on form and function. © Mark Daly

Evolution or Plasticity? What the Hermit Thrush Reveals About Climate Change

Over four decades, a familiar North American songbird has grown smaller. But genomic evidence reveals that not all of these changes are evolutionary – some may simply reflect the remarkable plasticity of living organisms in a warming world.
Evolution and Taxonomy
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Bound by Coastlines: Genetics and the Hidden Structure of Mexico’s American Oystercatchers
American Oystercatchers along the coast of north-western Mexico inhabit a landscape shaped by strong site fidelity, where breeding populations remain closely tied to specific bays and shorelines despite their ability to travel long distances.© Rain Saulnier

Bound by Coastlines: Genetics and the Hidden Structure of Mexico’s American Oystercatchers

Genetic evidence from Mexico’s coastlines reveals that American Oystercatchers are far less mobile than they appear, shaped by loyalty to place and hidden evolutionary boundaries.
Evolution and Taxonomy
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Three Wheatears, Three Routes into Africa
Pied Wheatears breeding at the western edge of their vast Eurasian range take a surprisingly direct migration route through Anatolia and the Arabian Peninsula to non-breeding grounds in Somalia. / Las collalbas pías que se reproducen en el extremo occidental de su extensa área de distribución euroasiática siguen una ruta migratoria sorprendentemente directa a través de Anatolia y la península arábiga hasta sus zonas no reproductoras en Somalia. © Ohad Sherer

Three Wheatears, Three Routes into Africa

Three closely related wheatears leave southern Europe for different parts of Africa. Tracking birds from Spain, Greece and Romania reveals contrasting migration routes and places Eastern Black-eared Wheatears more than 1,000 kilometres beyond their previously described non-breeding range.
Movement and Distribution
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Six Years After First Breeding, Alpine Swifts Are Colonising Hungary
The Alpine Swift was considered a rare visitor to Hungary until breeding was first confirmed in 2020. Six years later, it is breeding in several Hungarian cities, and its numbers continue to grow. / El vencejo real se consideraba un visitante raro en Hungría hasta que se confirmó por primera vez su reproducción en 2020. Seis años después, se reproduce en varias ciudades húngaras y su población sigue creciendo. © James Hoagland

Six Years After First Breeding, Alpine Swifts Are Colonising Hungary

Six years after Alpine Swifts first bred in Hungary, their numbers are increasing and new breeding sites are appearing. What began as an exceptional event is starting to look like an established population.
News
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
When Can a Bird Afford to Moult?
Common Bulbuls can breed year-round, yet their moult remains strongly seasonal and responsive to body condition and diet. / Los bulbules naranjeros pueden reproducirse durante todo el año, pero su muda sigue siendo marcadamente estacional y responde a la condición corporal y a la dieta. © Jeff Maw

When Can a Bird Afford to Moult?

In Common Bulbuls, the conditions associated with starting moult differ from those associated with completing it quickly. An experiment in Nigeria shows how body condition and diet shape different stages of feather replacement.
Conceptual Notes Avian Diet
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?
Advances in lightweight GPS technology are allowing researchers to study the movements of even small shorebirds like the Kentish Plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus) while carefully assessing the welfare implications of tagging. © Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok

Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?

Solar-powered GPS tags are opening new possibilities in shorebird research — but how close are we to the limits of what small birds can carry without consequence?
Fieldwork and Technology
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly