Earlier phenology and warmer temperatures are two hallmarks of climate change in the temperate zone. The impacts of climate change on birds are becoming apparent, but in some cases are still poorly understood. In this presentation, Ethan Clotfelter will talk about his research on tree swallows and black-capped chickadees, and the myriad ways in which temperature affects their daily lives. He will discuss three separate studies on incubation dynamics, food availability, and social behavior that he and his students have conducted at Amherst College over the past 20 years.

The Zoom Link!

Ethan Clotfelter is the Rufus Tyler Lincoln Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Amherst College, where he has taught since 2003. Ethan got his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina in Chapel, his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Wisconsin, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University. In addition to tree swallows and chickadees, he has studied other common bird species such as brown-headed cowbirds, red-winged blackbirds, and dark-eyed juncos. He’s also been known to dabble in studies of fish and crayfish behavior.