Research

Bird Banding at Powdermill Avian Research Center (PARC) The bird banding program at PARC records the age, sex, wing length, fat deposits, and body mass of captured species, as well as studying molt in birds. The data gathered proves useful in many areas of avian research, including migration, behavioral research, and longevity, as well as differences between sexes and age groups, life cycles, weight and plumage changes, population monitoring, habitat use, disease, and ecotoxicology (the … [Read more...] about Research

Bird Window Strike Avoidance Millions of our winged friends die every year flying into windows because birds can’t distinguish a reflection of trees, plants, and sky from the real thing.  Often injured birds fly off to die elsewhere or are scavenged by neighborhood cats, raccoons, and crows, so your windows may be causing more bird injuries and deaths than you realize. Not all windows are equally dangerous to birds.  Factors involved include a window’s reflective qualities and its position in … [Read more...] about Avian Perception of Glass

A Call to Action With more than a third of North American’s birds considered to be at risk of extinction without significant conservation action (State of North American Birds), we are in dire need of ways to evaluate the relative importance of habitats birds use throughout their annual life cycle. Simply knowing how individual birds use resources across a broad landscape remains one of the great limitations to bird conservation. We cannot address anthropogenic threats to birds, from climate … [Read more...] about Motus Wildlife Tracking

New Edition of The Birds of the Ligonier Valley Annie Lindsay, Banding Program Manager at Powdermill, authored the new edition of her mentor Robert Leberman’s book, The Birds of the Ligonier Valley. Written in the style of traditional naturalists, the first edition, published in 1976, contains detailed accounts for all species of birds recorded in the Ligonier Valley. The new 2022 edition provides updates on changes in status and local distribution since the first edition, and describes … [Read more...] about PARC Publications