Project Phoebe: Studying and Supporting a Uniquely Urban Flycatcher

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Most of us have enjoyed sharing our neighborhoods with Black Phoebes, whether nesting in a park or on a ledge attached to one of the houses, we are entertained by their antics and pleased with their diet of insects. Project Phoebe is a research program started by a team of UC Davis graduate students in 2022 to shed light on the experiences of the Black Phoebe, one of our familiar but ecologically surprising urban neighbors. Two members of Project Phoebe, UC Davis students Alia Tu and Ian Haliburton, will discuss the research program as a whole, introducing its unifying themes and emphasizing the accomplishments of its first year. Additionally, Alia and Ian will each present on their sub-projects within Project Phoebe. More than anything, Ian and Alia hope to show how extraordinary these backyard flycatchers are, fostering an appreciation for the challenges they overcome and encouraging participation in Project Phoebe’s continuing efforts to understand them and promote their success.

Please join us for an illuminating session on urban Black Phoebes!

This event is free, and you do not need to be a member of Yolo Audubon. If you would like to join, click here. If you only want to receive the monthly newsletter, click here.

SPEAKER BIO

• Alia is a third year undergraduate student at UC Davis, majoring in Mathematics with a minor in Wildlife Fish and Conservation Biology. She is excited about working in the field, observing bird behavior, and learning more about the scientific process and how birds and humans can coexist in an increasingly urbanized world. She greatly appreciates the many wonderful opportunities for exploring the world of research and ecology in the Davis and surrounding area. Along with her studies, Alia is also an artist, musician, aspiring educator, and overall nature-lover.
• Ian is a second-year PhD student in the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group. He is interested in the role of behavior in wild birds’ responses to anthropogenic challenges as well as the ways that behavior research can inform bird conservation, especially within urban environments. His focus is on the challenges of chemical pollution, and he is exploring ways to bridge the fields of ecotoxicology and behavioral ecology in his research. Working with the dapper Black Phoebe and its nestlings, Ian is planning to pick apart relationships between an individual’s environment, behavior, reproductive success and risk of exposure to chemical pollutants. He is thrilled to be doing work where he gets to think about and interact with the local birds he loves every day, and he is infinitely grateful that he no longer spends so much time in windowless laboratories like when he was an undergrad studying neuroscience at UCLA. Outside of his grad student life, Ian is an illustrator, a climber and a bird dad to two adorable budgies.

DETAILS ON JOINING THIS ZOOM MEETING

You must register (no cost) in advance for this meeting. An account with Zoom is NOT necessary to join a meeting. Zoom limits the number of participants to 100. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Registrants will receive email updates about this online event, as well as periodic email updates about Yolo Audubon’s conservation work and how you can help birds. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

During the presentation, you will be able to ask questions via Zoom’s chat feature for the Q&A afterwards.

 Please note:  Participants must have the Zoom desktop client downloaded on their computer or on their Apple or Android mobile phone or tablet to access the meeting.

 Visit   to learn how to join a Zoom meeting. You may email Yolo Audubon Program Chair Ken Ealy before the meeting if you need help.