Good genes or good parenting: What’s preferred in a bird’s mate?

Apr. 15 |  7 p.m.  |  BSU Nature Lab & Zoom

For birds, choosing a mate can be a high-stakes decision, with impacts on both current reproductive success and lifetime fitness. Is it better to choose a mate that will pass good genes on to offspring or one that will be a good parent and help care for offspring? How does the quality of one mate in a pair affect the parental investment strategy of the other? And how does a bird determine what any potential mate will bring to the table (or nest)?

It turns out that Prothonotary Warbler females may use a male’s wing length to assess his quality as a mate. For our April program, Dr. Kelly Miller—field ornithologist, behavioral ecologist, and Assistant Professor of Biology at Ball State University—will present her research on this finding and other fascinating observations about good parenting in Prothonotary Warblers.

The program will start at 7 p.m. at Ball State’s Nature Lab, located at 2500 W. University Ave. in Muncie. Parking is available on the south side of the building and is free after 5 p.m. The building is wheelchair-accessible.  Or, to watch by Zoom, please register in advance, below. After registering, you’ll receive confirmation and details about joining the meeting.