Immersed in the clouds [ 7:51 | 6.76 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3)

There is a world within the canopy of a tropical cloud forest that not many people get to see. In this unique ecosystem – maintained by the exceptionally wet microclimate of cloud cover—orchids, moss, lichens and other epiphytes grow in every crease and pocket of the supporting tree branches. Here, hundreds of species of birds, [...]

Battles of the sexes [ 9:40 | 8.85 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this edition of Field Talk, we catch up with Ethan Temeles, a biologist at Amherst College, who tells us a tale of competition among the sexes in Caribbean hummingbirds – competition so severe that it drives their evolution. The short, straight bills of male purple-throated caribs and the long, curved bills of female caribs [...]

To fly or not to fly? [ 10:32 | 9.65 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The ability to fly is one of the most significant adaptations in animal history. Some birds, however, have opted out of flying – evolutionarily speaking. In this installment of Field Talk, we catch up with Dr. Rory Wilson, a professor of aquatic biology at the University of Swansea. His paper in the November issue of [...]