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Dr Christy N Wails

@wailscn

bird nerd ๐Ÿง | island hopper ๐Ÿ๏ธ | invasive species ๐Ÿ€ | R stats ๐Ÿงฎ | she/her

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Latest posts by Dr Christy N Wails @wailscn

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American Oystercatchers be like

03.02.2026 01:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 36 ๐Ÿ” 4 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Fig. 1 from the article: Illustration of the two main wing muscles โ€“ pectoralis and supracoracoideus โ€“ of a migratory passerine.

Fig. 1 from the article: Illustration of the two main wing muscles โ€“ pectoralis and supracoracoideus โ€“ of a migratory passerine.

Fig. 4 from the article: Representation of the diverse ways in which myokines can influence the function of different organs throughout the body.

Fig. 4 from the article: Representation of the diverse ways in which myokines can influence the function of different organs throughout the body.

Fig. 5 from the article: (A) Conceptualization of a behavioral control system, as outlined by Fuxjager et al. (2023). Behavioral control systems are shown through the lens of spring (B) and autumn (C) migrations, with skeletal muscle (dark red) playing a role in the regulation of physiological systems that all promote one singular behavioral node (migration, dark orange) at the expense of others (dimmed behavioral nodes).

Fig. 5 from the article: (A) Conceptualization of a behavioral control system, as outlined by Fuxjager et al. (2023). Behavioral control systems are shown through the lens of spring (B) and autumn (C) migrations, with skeletal muscle (dark red) playing a role in the regulation of physiological systems that all promote one singular behavioral node (migration, dark orange) at the expense of others (dimmed behavioral nodes).

New paper: a review of how skeletal muscles support long-distance bird migration, highlighting their plasticity, coordination via endocrine signals, and interactions with other organ systems.

โžก๏ธ vist.ly/4sdqf

#ornithology #birds #migration #physiology #signals #adaptation #evolution

21.02.2026 10:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 28 ๐Ÿ” 13 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Hi. Big fans. Loving the game. Here to cheer.

But umโ€ฆya, why is a *Peregrine Falcon* being shown flying out of the tv score board? Thatโ€™s one of the last โ€œsea hawkโ€ possible raptors out there.

Help a bird nerd out here. At least put an Osprey or an eagle (bald or golden!) or something elseโ€ฆ

09.02.2026 03:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 71 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 7 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Headline: "Scientists discover emperor penguin colony in Antarctica using satellite images"

Headline: "Scientists discover emperor penguin colony in Antarctica using satellite images"

Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.

20.01.2026 18:44 ๐Ÿ‘ 9144 ๐Ÿ” 2369 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 144 ๐Ÿ“Œ 203
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North American bird declines are greatest where species are most abundant Efforts to address declines of North American birds have been constrained by limited availability of fine-scale information about population change. By using participatory science data from eBird, we ...

North American bird populations are shrinking most rapidly in the very areas where they are still most abundant, according to a 2025 study in Science.

The findings reveal both urgent threats and potential opportunities for targeted conservation and recovery. https://scim.ag/4qwOLyM #NationalBirdDay

05.01.2026 20:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 49 ๐Ÿ” 27 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A old advert that has the words What the heck is Electronic Mail? With a man looking very scared by a sparkling trail flying around his desk

A old advert that has the words What the heck is Electronic Mail? With a man looking very scared by a sparkling trail flying around his desk

The first two hours this morning

05.01.2026 11:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 6688 ๐Ÿ” 1371 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 37 ๐Ÿ“Œ 52
A tiny sand colored chick with a white belly stands on a sandy beach. It looks like two cotton balls on toothpick legs and is adorable.

A tiny sand colored chick with a white belly stands on a sandy beach. It looks like two cotton balls on toothpick legs and is adorable.

BABY BIRD POOF! I'm looking back to June 16th when the weather was warm and the birds were baby.

#FallBack #birds ๐ŸŒฟ

16.12.2025 19:47 ๐Ÿ‘ 574 ๐Ÿ” 88 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 26 ๐Ÿ“Œ 10
How These Hummingbirds Turned Their Beaks Into Swords | ScienceTake
How These Hummingbirds Turned Their Beaks Into Swords | ScienceTake YouTube video by The New York Times

oh, great, so theyโ€™ve invented hummingbirds with sharp pointy teeth now

youtu.be/H7BJkc9QSJw?...

11.12.2025 21:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 85 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 9 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Has anyone ever seen a hybrid of Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal and why isn't it called a Teal-winged Teal?

28.10.2025 20:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 43 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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NIU-led global study reveals hidden power of seabirds | NIU Newsroom Restoring seabird populations could help safeguard biodiversity and climate resilience across vast scales, a new study shows. Published this week in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, the...

Here's a link to NIU's press release and more will follow :)

newsroom.niu.edu/niu-led-glob...

๐Ÿงช

27.10.2025 17:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 13 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I am very excited to share that we have a new paper out today in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com

In it, we summarize the state of knowledge on the Circular Seabird Economy!

1/n ๐Ÿงช
Link to paper here: rdcu.be/eMOUd

27.10.2025 14:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 36 ๐Ÿ” 15 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6
<span style="font-size: 18px;">Island Vegetation</span>

islandconservation.shinyapps.io/island-veg-a...

02.10.2025 12:27 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

Continuing efforts to hurt the research pipeline, the very late NSF GFRP solicitation no longer allows 2nd year PhD students to apply. Lots of these students chose not to apply last year because they were told they would have a better change once in their thesis lab www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

26.09.2025 18:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 32 ๐Ÿ” 19 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6
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Supporting Ornithologists Impacted by U.S. Executive Orders & Federal Firings We are shocked and dismayed by the U.S. federal governmentโ€™s 2025 general assault on science.

News: We are offering ornithologists affected by recent executive orders and federal firings gratis membership and gratis meeting registration, and are soliciting input on additional ways we can offer support.

04.03.2025 21:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 37 ๐Ÿ” 15 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The Trailblazer Grant was created to help students and ECPs overcome financial barriers and gain essential resources for their education, research, and professional development.ย 

To apply ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfo5v3DIduqecHTQXiV4llWGk3P5GHMKQZZZadDfQqxA0C2YQ/viewform

04.03.2025 21:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Hey, artists, in case you were wondering if your work matters: I'm a scientist working on climate change and biodiversity, and I would not be who I am today without The Lorax, The Secret of NIMH, Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and The X-Files. I know I'm not alone. Thank you for all you do.

26.02.2025 16:49 ๐Ÿ‘ 40535 ๐Ÿ” 6945 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 615 ๐Ÿ“Œ 369
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New paper alert!

Piping plovers select nest sites with better views of predators, allowing early detection and evasive actions. A nest's "viewshed" should be considered in habitat management and understanding ground-nesting bird behavior.

Link to the paper by @sharinnature.bsky.social below!

24.02.2025 19:23 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Everyone please stop your scrolling for just a moment to appreciate this amazing combination of science and art, courtesy of VT Shorebirds lab member, Leo Hoffman!

18.02.2025 21:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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New research alert! We contrasted how red fox and free-roaming cat activity correlates with the survival of federally threatened piping plovers. You can protect wildlife populations, and keep your cat safe and cozy by keeping your feline friends indoors.

Link to paper below! @wailscn.bsky.social

12.02.2025 14:48 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Celebrating our community at the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover and Least Tern Workshop at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. It was so good to be with current and former lab members!

06.02.2025 02:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0