Systematics and Evolutionary Ecology of New and Old-World Avian Sister Radiations (Aves: Mimidae & Sturnidae)

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The world's 150 species of mockingbirds and starlings have truly remarkable diversity in singing behavior, mating systems, coloration, geographic distributions, and other traits of high interest to both biologists and the general public. By using DNA as a powerful source of information on the similarities and differences among species, evolutionary trees for these two charismatic families of birds will determined. This study will generate the first robust evolutionary trees for two groups birds that have previously been the subjects of diverse research initiatives in ecology, behavior, and physiology, and these trees will join the growing "Tree of Life" that combines information from many NSF-funded projects. These evolutionary trees will be used to explore the reasons why certain species exhibit certain traits: for example, why do some but not all mockingbirds mimic the sounds of other birds? Why do some starlings breed in large cooperative groups, whereas other species nest in solitary pairs? Questions like these can only be answered well when studies of current phenomena are combined with explorations of the deeper evolutionary roots of those biological traits. In the public realm, this project will allow to use many media outlets to highlight the importance of evolution by linking evolutionary trees with topics of popular interest such as mating behavior, mimicry, beautiful birds, and biodiversity.