Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture Speaker Series
On Monday, January 29 at 6:30pm, the “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture Speaker Series” will present a program on “Bird Talk: An Exploration of Avian Communication” by Dr. Barbara Ballentine.
Birds use acoustic, visual, and olfactory signals in social contexts allowing for the transmission of information that is important for successful reproduction and survival.
The beauty of birdsong is one of the joys of nature, and this talk will explore how songs are learnt and performed, why the quality of a male's repertoire can affect his mating success, and how birds use song-matching and countersinging in territorial disputes.
Birds communicate through visual signals too, from the dazzling feathers of a Peacock to the jumping displays a Jackson's Widowbird performs to show off his long tail, to how aggressive wing-waving is used to ward off impostors. Understanding how signals are produced and used by birds to communicate provides insight into the amazing lives of birds.
Dr. Ballentine is an Associate Professor of Biology at WCU. She earned a BS in Biology at UNC Chapel Hill (1996), a MS in Zoology at Auburn University (2000) and a PhD in Biology at Duke University (2007). She worked as a post-doc at the University of Miami and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
