MIXED-SPECIES FLOCKS

with DR. Allison Johnson:

How Bird Communities Extend Beyond Species Borders

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JOIN US: Thursday, April 9, 7:00 PM, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A St.  

stream live:  https://youtube.com/live/-Alppbk1G54?feature=share

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Dr. Allison Johnson is a Research Assistant Professor in the

School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska~Lincoln.

Originally from Scottsbluff, Nebraska she developed her passion for birds early on,

inspired by her mentor, Paul Johnsgard, and the dedicated members

of the Scottsbluff Audubon Society, who helped introduce her to birding as a hobby.

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Her interest in behavioral ecology took flight at the end of high school, when she began working as a field technician at Cedar Point Biological Station. There, she collaborated with Dr. Charles and Dr. Mary Bomberger Brown on research focused on cliff swallows. The experience proved formative, and she continued this work during her undergraduate studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Fascinated by how such small birds could maintain complex and dynamic social lives, she chose to pursue graduate research examining the evolution and ecological drivers of social behavior in birds.

 For her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, Dr. Johnson expanded her research internationally. Each fall, she traveled to South Australia to study fairywrens—highly social, cooperative breeding birds that live in family groups. In these systems, young birds often delay dispersal and may remain in their natal groups for life.

While studying fairywrens, Dr. Johnson became increasingly interested in the broader social communities birds form, including interactions across species. In Nebraska, bird enthusiasts may observe this phenomenon in winter mixed-species flocks gathering at backyard feeders. In Australia, however, the resident study species does not migrate seasonally, allowing researchers to uncover the remarkable specificity of these cross-species relationships. Individual birds form extended social networks that include consistent members of other species—and they can recognize one another.

In her upcoming talk, Dr. Johnson will share the fascinating discoveries emerging from research on mixed-species flocking birds. From communication and territory stability to understanding how these partnerships may help birds adapt to a changing world, her work highlights the complexity of avian social systems. While she will spotlight her favorite Australian passerines, she will also weave in stories from a population of winter mixed-species flocking birds currently under study in Nebraska.  

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While studying fairywrens, Dr. Johnson became increasingly interested in the broader social communities birds form, including interactions across species. In Nebraska, bird enthusiasts may observe this phenomenon in winter mixed-species flocks gathering at backyard feeders. In Australia, however, the resident study species does not migrate seasonally, allowing researchers to uncover the remarkable specificity of these cross-species relationships. Individual birds form extended social networks that include consistent members of other species—and they can recognize one another.

 In her upcoming talk, Dr. Johnson will share the fascinating discoveries emerging from research on mixed-species flocking birds. From communication and territory stability to understanding how these partnerships may help birds adapt to a changing world, her work highlights the complexity of avian social systems. While she will spotlight her favorite Australian passerines, she will also weave in stories from a population of winter mixed-species flocking birds currently under study in Nebraska.     

JOIN US: Thursday, April 9, 7:00 PM, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A St.  

stream live:  https://youtube.com/live/-Alppbk1G54?feature=share

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