[Tweeters] REMINDER: WOS Monthly Meeting, February 3, 2025

[via Tweeters]

The Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) is pleased to announce our next Monthly Meeting: on Monday, February 3, Sarah Sloane will present, “DNA, Kinship and Competition: Unraveling the Complex Social Web of Bushtits.”  The Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) is a common nonmigratory species known for its cooperative breeding and intricate social dynamics.  In this talk, Dr. Sloane will share insights from her research on Bushtit populations in Portland, OR, showcasing a range of fascinating behaviors.  These include how young from the previous year assist with nest care, that polyandry (more than one male) occurs through two different pathways, and that there are even cases of polygyny (more than one female).  Using new DNA evidence, Dr. Sloane will discuss how these flexible and complex social behaviors provide a deeper understanding of cooperation, kinship and reproductive strategies in this adorable and common backyard species.  

Sarah A. Sloane received her PhD from the University of Michigan, focusing on the Bushtit in SE Arizona.  Inspired by the sociality of the Arizonian Bushtit, she migrated her research to the Pacific Northwest in 2013.  Dr. Sloane is author of the Birds of the World chapter on Bushtits, and is Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Maine at Farmington.  

This meeting will be conducted virtually, via Zoom (no in-person attendance).  Sign-in will begin at 7:15 pm, and the meeting commences at 7:30 pm.  Please go to the WOS Monthly Meetings page:   https://wos.org/monthly-meetings/  for instructions on participation and to get the Zoom link.

When joining the meeting, we ask that you mute your device and make certain that your camera is turned off.

This meeting is open to all as WOS invites everyone in the wider birding community to attend.  Thanks to the generosity of our presenters, recordings of past programs are available at the following link to the WOS YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@washingtonornithologicalso7839/videos

If you are not yet a member of WOS, we hope you will consider becoming one at  https://wos.org

Please join us!

Elaine Chuang
WOS Program Support