Program: Behavior, Society, and Sex in Adolescent Birds, Dr. Liam Taylor

Most birds have some growing up to do before they start to breed. Although they reach full adult size within weeks of hatching, many birds will not raise offspring for years, or even decades. Dr. Liam Taylor explores the strange things that young birds need to do before they can reproduce—from developing a territory on a rocky island to finding a dance partner on the rainforest floor. Looking back through millions of years of evolution, we will uncover how society and sex create new challenges and opportunities for adolescent birds.

Dr. Liam Taylor is an evolutionary ecologist and ornithologist, studying how social structures influence the ecology, evolution and conservation of birds. They are currently working as the Doherty Postdoctoral Scholar in Biology at Bowdoin College, Maine, and the Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada. Their field studies have ranged from shorebirds in the subarctic to tropical, dancing manakins in the Amazon rainforest.

MEET AT The Highlands Room, Topsham Public Library, Topsham.

Chapter board meeting: 5:15 p.m.–6:15 p.m.

*Note the new location and time.