birds

Across an expanse of open grassland in Sacramento County, an eight-foot, stream cut bank holds dozens of mud-domed bird nests, where tiny heads peeked out before a colony of cliff swallows took flight. Cliff swallows are small migratory birds that arrive in the Central Valley each spring to breed, and while they now commonly nest on bridges and freeway overpasses, finding their nests built in a natural setting is a striking and special sight, particularly in California’s Central Valley.

“Here, Jeffy, Jeffy!” 

Hugh Safford is calling out into the woods for a tree. That’s normal enough for a forest ecologist, but the tree he’s searching for — the Jeffrey pine — was not, until recently, expected to live anywhere near here.   

Siblings are special. Be they protector or tormentor, friend or foe, the relationship between siblings is like no other. They witness each other’s childhoods — sharing parents, history, secrets and advice.

Even among some bird species, siblings can be powerful role models — eclipsing even their parents’ influence — according to a study from the University of California, Davis, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.

The wind was whipping across a dark, open field near the southern edge of Yolo County when two small burrowing owls suddenly burst into flight. For a team of birders from UC Davis, the birds marked the 173rd species of the day, breaking a county record that had stood for 25 years.

It was the exciting conclusion of their “Big Day,” a fast-paced birding challenge to find and identify as many bird species as possible in a 24-hour period. Their effort – spanning 150 miles of driving, 17 miles of walking and 41 stops – combined careful planning with a love of birds.

From a small California winery to a large-scale energy project in China, floating photovoltaics — or “floatovoltaics”— are gaining in popularity. Commonly installed over artificial water bodies, from irrigation ponds and reservoirs to wastewater treatment plants, floating solar projects can maximize space for producing clean energy while sparing natural lands.

Home is where the perch is: Two peregrine falcons may be turning the UC Davis water tower into their new nesting spot. Andrew “Andy” Engilis Jr., ornithologist and curator of the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, spotted a pair of the birds during the first week of April after hearing a loud, high-pitched “scree, scree” outside his office in the Academic Surge building.

Wading through flooded rice fields, a team of UC Davis students and researchers release thousands of shimmering fish into the water. These small golden shiners hold the promise of significant contributions to the dual challenges of climate change mitigation and sustainable food production.

In a small laboratory brimming with specialized tools, sophomore Jay Chen delicately handles a western meadowlark, its sunny yellow feathers create a peaceful warmth to the task at hand. Chen is preparing the bird specimen for its place at the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, or MWFB.

Bird populations are in rapid decline across North America. While climate change is just one of the many factors influencing North American birds, its effects are significant and can interact with other stressors, such as habitat loss. A team of University of California, Davis, researchers found that the effects of extreme temperatures on avian reproduction can vary depending on the type of environment that birds call home.

When Paulina González-Gómez was caught admiring baby birds chirping outside her classroom window, her third-grade teacher cautioned she wouldn’t make a living watching birds. Undeterred, she is now forging a career studying how changes in the environment influence the behavior, physiological traits and life cycles of birds.