Tree swallows use behavioral and physiological mechanisms to handle rising temperatures, and their story is an optimistic example of how some species successfully respond to climate change, at least for now.
It’s a difficult time to study birds. Their numbers are down, their habitat is changing, and their prey are disappearing as heat waves grow more common and more intense. Yet, Kim Rosvall and Mary Woodruff of the Department of Biology within the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington have identified a bird that seems to be handling some of these challenges surprisingly well. Their multi-year studies of the tree swallow demonstrate that these birds can employ behavioral and physiological mechanisms to handle the heat.
A research question is born
Step into Associate Professor Kim Rosvall’s office and there’s no mistaking what she studies. Pictures, paintings, and even knit figures of tree swallows fill every wall and shelf. Rosvall has studied the iridescent blue-green and white birds for 20 years, focusing mostly on aggression.