EEB / NRE 433, Ornithology, Fall 2002

Prerequisites. Two college-level courses in biology

The study of birds includes lectures, laboratories, and local field trips. Students will be introduced to the native birds of Michigan, with an emphasis on identifying common birds of Michigan by sight or sound. Lecture topics include the origin of birds, their adaptations for different life styles, their individual and social behavior, migration, and breeding biology, including cooperative breeding and brood parasitism. Population biology, geographic variation, and the origins of bird species will be described. Field trips to different habitats and laboratories on morphology, systematics, and behavior will be arranged. Textbooks are F. B. Gill, Ornithology, and R. T. Peterson, Field Guide to the Birds. Student evaluation is based on field and lab quizzes, lab exams, an individual paper, and a written final exam.

Faculty Instructor: R.B. Payne: rbpayne@umich.edu

Graduate Student Instructor: David Lahti: lahtid@umich.edu

Web site: htpp://www.ummz.umich.edu/birds/ornclass

Textbooks:

1. Ornithology, 2nd ed. 1995. F. B. Gill. Freeman.

2. Birds of Eastern and Central North America. Peterson Field Guides, 5th ed. 2002. Houghton-Mifflin

Class times:

Lectures are Tu and Th from 1:00 to 2:30 in 1122 SPH2

Labs are 2:30-5:00 in 1018 Chemistry Building

Lecture and Reading Schedule:

3 Sept---Introduction: the diversity of birds (chapter 1 in Ornithology)

5 Sept---Fossil history - what is a bird? (chapter 2)

10 Sept---What is a species? (chapter 3)

12 Sept---Feathers (chapter 4)

17 Sept---Flight (chapter 5)

19 Sept---Physiology and the environment (chapter 6)

24 Sept---Feeding (chapter 7)

26 Sept---Brain, intelligence, and senses (chapter 8)

1 Oct---Visual communication (chapter 9)

3 Oct---Exam 1

8 Oct---Songs and song development (chapter 10)

10 Oct---Vocal communication (chapter 10)

15 Oct---no class (fall recess)

17 Oct---Migration (chapter 12, 13)

22 Oct---Annual cycle (chapter 11)

24 Oct---Social behavior (chapter 14)

29 Oct---Reproduction (chapter 15, 16)

31 Oct---Mates and breeding partners (chapter 17)

5 Nov---Growth and development (chapter 18)

7 Nov---Parental care (chapter 19)

12 Nov---Brood parasitism (chapter 19)

14 Nov---Cooperative breeding (chapter 19)

19 Nov---Demography and populations (chapter 20, 21)

21 Nov---Species distributions and communities (chapter 23)

26 Nov---Bird Species (chapter 22)

28 Nov---no class (Thanksgiving)

3 Dec---Speciation (chapter 22)

5 Dec---Student presentations

10 Dec---Student presentations

19 Dec---Final exam, time 4:00-6:00

Lab schedule:

3-5 Sept---bird identification, trip to Natural History museum

10-12 Sept---morphology, skeleton, feathers, feather tracts (Gill: ch. 4)

17-19 Sept---Field Trip: Crosswinds marsh

24-26 Sept---orders of birds

1-3 Oct---families of birds

8-10 Oct---Field Trip: UM Botanical Gardens

22-24 Oct---midterm lab exam

29-31 Oct---Field Trip: Haehnle Sanctuary

5-7 Nov---identification of Michigan birds: nonpasserines

12-14 Nov---videos on bird behavior

19-21 Nov---identification of Michigan birds: passerines

26 Nov - 3 Dec---to be determined

5-10 Dec---lab exam

Grading:

Lecture 65%, papers 15%, lab 20%

Lab: 3 field / lab quizzes (10% each), final lab exam (70%),