Since 1996, families, classrooms and youth groups all over the world have been helping researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology study one of the most common and perhaps misunderstood birds: the pigeon. Now, a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will enable several new focus areas to join the lab's Project PigeonWatch as part of an Urban Bird Studies initiative, engaging more children to study a greater variety of bird species.
The grant, called Birds in the 'Hood/Aves del Barrio, will consist of a set of bilingual (English and Spanish) projects designed to encourage kids and their adult educators to participate easily in an educational project that provides scientific data on birds across urban landscapes. Each project will consist of a set of simple to advanced protocols for counting and recording data about a particular group of urban birds. Simple protocols will require counting with little or no need for identification of particular species and color types (morphs), while advanced protocols may require simultaneous counts of several species and morphs.
"Our goal is to provide an educational experience that fosters kids' natural curiosity about science, and birds provide the perfect springboard," says the ornithology lab's Mindy LaBranche, lead researcher on the grant. "For many children in urban settings, the birds they see every day include not only pigeons but also other dove species, gulls, and crows. Birds in the Hood/Aves del Barrio will allow educators to use these birds as a means to teach basic scientific concepts."
While Project PigeonWatch kids are helping scientists answer the question "why do pigeons occur in so many different color morphs?" participants in Birds in the 'Hood/Aves del Barrio will help researchers learn more about other urban birds, such as group sizes and family dynamics in crows and jays. "Among the concepts we want to promote are the understanding of family groups and how to conduct behavioral observations," said LaBranche.
All projects will be Internet-based and available in English or Spanish. Groups without Internet access will be encouraged to go online at their local library. They can also contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to obtain the materials, which include instructions, reference information and tally sheets. Artwork, photos and video clips of the birds and participants in action will be featured at the web site to promote easy identification of the birds.
Individuals and youth groups in more than 14 countries participate in Project PigeonWatch. LaBranche hopes Birds in the 'Hood/Aves del Barrio will elicit the same kind of enthusiasm that PigeonWatch has. "Thanks to the National Science Foundation, we have an amazing opportunity to bring hands-on science to more kids in urban environments," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "We hope that by participating, they will discover an interest in birds and science that will last a lifetime."
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