Jeff White

Photo montage of Tinamus resonans sp. nov., a new species of tinamou from the montane forests of the Serra do Divisor, western Amazonia, Brazil. The species is distinguished by a unique combination of plumage pattern, vocal repertoire, and ecological characteristics, including a conspicuous dark slate facial mask, vivid rufous-cinnamon underparts, and a uniform brownish-gray back. Its vocalizations are remarkable, consisting of long and powerful songs that echo strikingly across the steep montane slopes, producing a characteristic resonant effect. The species was documented exclusively at higher elevations within a transitional zone between submontane and stunted forests, where the understory is densely structured by root mats. A preliminary population estimate, based on field detections and spatial extrapolation, suggests approximately 2,106 individuals restricted to the Serra do Divisor massif. Although no immediate anthropogenic pressures were observed within its range, the species may be highly vulnerable to climate change and to proposed infrastructure projects that threaten the integrity of this federally protected region. The discovery of T. resonans highlights the biological uniqueness of the Serra do Divisor, reinforces its status as a center of montane endemism, and underscores the critical importance of maintaining its long-term conservation.

Huge News from the Western Amazon: it's the year 2025 and we are still describing entirely new, strikingly-distinctive large-bodied bird species! Behold Tinamus resonans sp. nov. the Slaty-masked Tinamou mapress.com/zt/article/v... #Ornithology @tetzoo.bsky.social 🪶

A couple of weeks ago I had a great chat with Mary from the All About Penguins podcast about crested penguins, conservation, and field work. The episode is now available! Check out her website at www.lifeguin.com

open.spotify.com/episode/1pOr...

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

The #PSG2026 Scientific Program Committee is accepting proposals for workshops, symposia & round-tables!

🗓️ Deadline: Sept 1, 2025
📅 Virtual meeting: Feb 23–27, 2026
📧 programchair@pacificseabirdgroup.org

🔗 Submit: bit.ly/4oYWq93

#Seabirds #Ornithology

Thanks! Let me know if you ever want to come out with us!

Thanks! Hopefully so. We're expanding to evaluate the rest of the region's eastern rockhopper colonies next season, so hopefully we'll have an even better idea of how to address this decline before they are gone.

Population structure of three New Zealand crested penguins identifies current conservation challenges for the Fiordland penguin/tawaki, erect-crested penguin, and eastern rockhopper penguin Identifying contemporary population structure and genetic connectivity among seabird populations is essential for developing conservation plans for threatened species, especially as factors like philo...

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Apparently the link in the post is to the figures only. So here is the full article link!

New open access paper out! We evaluated the population structure and conservation needs for 3 crested penguin species in NZ. Read it here: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Excited for the first day of presentations at #AOS2025. Looking forward to hearing about all the great science that's happening!

A Tawaki Project double-whammy! 🎉 After Myrene’s paper came out last week, we’ve now got a follow-up study highlighting just how adaptable tawaki are finding food at sea - a huge advantage in our rapidly changing world.

As always, Open Access and free to read:
peerj.com/articles/196...

After three years of hard work, @myrene_ventures has published her first scientific paper! 🎉 It suggests Tawaki might handle our changing world better than many other penguins.

It’s Open Access - go have a read! doi.org/10.7717/peer...

Fig. 1 from the article. Overview of the selective and non-selective forces influencing the expression of same-sex partnerships in birds, adapted from the framework for understanding same-sex sexual behaviour in Clive et al. (2020). Illustration: Bertille Mohring

NEW PAPER: Same-sex partnerships in birds: a review of the current literature and a call for more data.

➡️ vist.ly/3n99bk6

#ornithology #birds #same-sexbehaviour #review #partnerships @tashgillies.bsky.social @katrina-siddiqi.bsky.social

Illustration: @bertillemohring.bsky.social

Are claims of de-extincting the moa more hype than science? Emile Donovan speaks to Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of the University of Otago's Palaeogenetics Laboratory.

www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Scientist Spotlight 2025 | Penguins International Penguins International Scientist Spotlight 2025 Webpage

www.penguinsinternational.org/scientist-sp...

Happy World Penguin Day!

Steeple Jason Island. Home to the largest Black-browed Albatross colony in the world. I spent a week in March sampling albatrosses, penguins, giant petrels, shags, and more as part of our work to understand the dynamics of HPAI in the Falklands seabird community

Penguin counts, elephant seal harems, Canada goose sightings, and more!

Check out the report from the 2024 Bounty-Antipodes Expedition to see what all we were up to this season.

After over 5 months in the field I'm back in Ithaca and ready to begin processing samples for #stableisotopes and other dietary analyses. Stay tuned for field recaps from the Falklands/Malvinas and updates from the lab!

Another day and another tagged seabird… this time a Brown Skua at Saunders Island, Falkland. Ring ABU and with a geolocator (?). Anyone know anything about it? Also great to see it with a recently fledged chick. Survivors of the HPAI wave across the isles.
@scottishseabird.bsky.social? #Seabirds

In the Falklands/Malvinas my focus is understanding food web dynamics for native predators/scavengers and their interactions with both native seabirds and introduced mammals through tracking, stable isotopes, and fecal DNA. Looking forward to a great season over the next few months.

Spent some time sampling and admiring the penguins of Saunders Island last week.

Would love to be added please!

I forgot to include the shags. But just look how stunning they are.

Of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't also post about all the fantastic penguins and shags I'm seeing (and also sampling) including a Northern Rockhopper that seems to have made a friend with one of the local Southern Rockhoppers. All this from just one island.

Last week I arrived in the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas for field campaign #2 of the season. This time I'm focused on the foraging ecology of scavengers on islands +/- introduced mammals. Lots of GLS to deploy on skuas and of course lots of stable isotopes to come!

Just a week ago we were packing and prepping for pick up from Antipodes Island. 2.5 months of exhausting field work flew by with this amazing team. Couldn’t ask for better people to study penguins with. Thanks for another great season @tawaki-project.org

Somehow 2.5 months on Antipodes has come to an end. We said goodbye to that stunning island and the incredible birds that call it home, and sailed back to the South Island. Hopefully expanding the work to other islands next season. 🐧🇳🇿#seabirds

Last day of streaming from the Antipodes Islands. We're going home tomorrow.

tawaki.cam/antipodes

Ever wonder what a penguin colony sounds like at night? This is from our southern study colony on Antipodes. Our camp is located about 50 ft away so we get to hear (and smell) them all night long.

Crèching is imminent for the erect-crested penguin chicks. But being too big to fit under dad means that they are now exposed to the sun. On bright sunny days the colonies can get very warm, so the chicks resort to rather dramatic panting to stay cool. I’m sure they are relieved when night comes.