The slow pace of life in tropical birds

Located between 23.5° north and south of the equator, the tropical latitudes contain over two-thirds of Earth’s bird species. While living in the tropics is certainly no walk in the park, many tropical birds find the pace of life a bit more relaxed compared to temperate species: they live longer, have fewer young, and expend less energy.

Micah will first look at how avian survival rates vary around the globe with clutch size, body mass, and climate. He will then ask how well metabolic rate in birds predicts survival, and how this fits into their overall slow pace of life by focusing on an avian community living across a 2500 m elevational gradient in the tropical Andes, the most species rich mountain range in the world.

Along the way, we will see and hear about some of the many beautiful and interesting birds encountered as part of Micah’s research in the Neotropics over the past decade.