Corvids are everywhere: they are found on nearly every continent, and many species thrive in human-dominated environments. They have influenced art and literature throughout history, and whether they inspire love or hate, they have certainly shaped the hearts and minds of the humans who share their space. But being "common" isn't enough to earn this level of connection. So what is it about corvids that positions them to take such a prominent role in culture and storytelling traditions? And how does that relationship impact the birds themselves? Join Dr. Kaeli Swift as she explores the unique features of corvids that make them so appealing to watch and study, explains why they do (some of!) the things they do, and examines how human attention toward these birds has shaped the birds’ own ecology and culture.
Dr. Swift earned her PhD in avian behavioral ecology from the University of Washington, where she studied how American crows respond to their dead. She is now a research scientist with UW and has spent the past five years living and working on the remote Pacific island of Tinian, studying the Tinian monarch, a small songbird found nowhere else. She writes about corvids on her blog, corvidresearch.blog, and shares them on Instagram and TikTok as @corvidresearch. Her research has been covered by National Geographic, PBS, the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Ologies podcast.