Ornithology

Categories

biology, ecology, chemistry, physics, data science, education

The class of birds, or Aves, contains nearly 10,000 species, recognized by their feathers, wings, and beaks. Most can fly, though further diversification has led to flightless birds.


The Projects

Browse the participating projects

Where do all the caracaras that winter in central Arizona go during summer?

The initial phase of our project involves investigating the large groups of caracaras that winter in central...

Black Swift Movement Ecology

The Black Swift, a species of continental concern in the U.S and Canada, has declined by 94% over the past...

Do street lights affect flight behavior of nocturnally migrating birds?

The flight behavior of birds migrating at night can be altered when exposed to lights shining towards the...

Keep the Suns shining in Guyana: Recovering the Sun Conure (Sun parakeet)

The Sun Conure, Aratinga solstitialis, is vanishing. Wildlife trafficking has nearly eliminated this beautiful...

A Mother’s Work is Never Done: Using Thermal Imaging to Detect Torpor in Nesting Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds use energy at extremely high rates due to their small size and high metabolism. They must conserve...

Prairie falcons – uncertain kinship in an uncertain climate?

Predicting the effects of climate change on species at the top trophic levels is crucial because they can...

Beyond conservation concern: monk parakeets hold clues about human influences on evolutionary processes

Parrots are the most threatened major group of birds, with many wild populations declining in response to...

A New Kakapo Breeding Site?

The iconic kakapo is a flightless, nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand. More breeding territories are...

Biodiversity in working landscapes: Help us conserve declining grassland birds in restored Midwestern grasslands

Though grasslands are increasingly scarce in the Midwest, there are pockets remaining on private lands grazed...

How do mixed species social groups help fairy-wrens?

Animals can benefit from sociality through cooperation and information sharing. Simple associations between...

Flight-calling in Wood-Warblers (Parulidae): Does Species-Specific Behavior Drive Evolution of Calls?

Flight calls are poorly understood vocalizations given by migrating warblers (Parulidae) that are thought...

When ranges collide: understanding interactions between two tody species

The family Todidae is endemic to the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the only island that hosts multiple...

Hybridization in Andean warblers: how color, song, and genes interact in avian hybrid zones

Our research project aims to characterize a case of hybridization between two species of colorful warblers...

Understanding Avian Diversity: a genomic approach to determine the relationships of Kingfishers and their allies

Understanding biodiversity is fundamental to biology. To do so, we need to know the evolutionary tree of...

More About This Challenge

The sciency details

Challenge Amount:
$500
Submission Deadline:
Oct 13, 2016
Campaign Launch:
Oct 28, 2016

Frequently Asked Questions

How do challenge grants work?

Challenge grants are prizes to supplement existing crowdfunding campaigns. We will accept proposals for campaigns related to birds, and all the campaigns will launch together on October 28th, 2016. Partway through the campaigns, the project with the highest number of backers will receive an additional $500. There are four runners-up prizes of $200 each.

When will the grant be awarded?

On November 18th at 5PM PT, the prizes will be awarded according to the posted schedule.

Can I still submit a project?

We are no longer accepting projects for this grant, however we will be launching many more challenge grant opportunities. Sign up for our mailing list for up-to-date community news.

Please Note:

If we see suspicious acitivity of researchers or backers potentially cheating during the challenge, the project will be completely disqualified from winning the grant.

Challenge Aims

Birds have a huge range of fascinating and varied characteristics. For example, they're known for their complex social communication and mimicry through calls and musical bird song, as well as the extraordinary abilities of some to migrate long distances, and the unique morphology that enables flight. The study of birds also extends far into audiences in the general public, from hobbyist birdwatchers to those who keep bird feeders in their backyards.

We're requesting proposal from researchers studying any aspect of birds, of any species. Some examples are genetic studies of ranges, morphological adaptations, plumage or birdsong variation, shifts in populations due to environmental or climate change, and roles in pollination or pest control.

These are just ideas; any project related to ornithology is encouraged to apply! If you would like to chat more about your project, just send us an email at support@experiment.com. You can begin a page and submit it using the button below.

A few examples of past successful bird projects:

The Secret Life of Parrots: decoding vocal babbling in wild parrot chicks

Crow funerals: What are they thinking about?

Tracking the Endangered White-breasted Thrasher

Should I stay or should I go? Connecting bird behavior during migration to fat stores and antioxidant capacity

How do birds see the world?


Project Eligilibity

This grant is for projects that launch campaigns by Oct 13, 2016. The project that ends with the most backers will receive an additional $500 grant. Eligible projects must be approved before the launch deadline.


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