Wednesday, 20 September 2023

Presenter: Andrew Iwaniuk

Join Andrew Iwaniuk on Wednesday October 18 for a presentation on Ruffed Grouse.

Andrew is an ornithologist and neurobiologist based at the University of Lethbridge. His research has largely focused on why bird brains vary so much in size and anatomy across species. To that end, he has developed the world’s largest collection of avian brains for anatomical research, primarily through working with wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians. His research has provided new insights into the sensory abilities of hummingbirds, vultures, and owls as well as the complexities of parrot behaviour. He has worked extensively with museums in Australia and North America as well as fieldwork in southern Australia, western Canada, and Panama. In addition, he researches the drumming display of Ruffed Grouse in relation to physiology and anatomy.

Ruffed Grouse: the highs and lows of working on a difficult bird

The Ruffed Grouse is often considered a well-studied species because it is intensively managed across many parts of its broad distribution. However, many basic questions of Ruffed Grouse behaviour have remained largely unexplored. This is especially true of its characteristic courtship behaviour: the drumming display. Over the past 15 years, Andrew and his students have addressed some basic questions about the drumming display, such as: when do they drum?; how often do they drum?; what is the structure of the drumming sound?; and why do they drum?. Andrew will provide an overview of how they have attempted to answer these questions, what they have learned about Ruffed Grouse, the challenges of working on this species, and how they are currently working with hunters to understand more about Ruffed Grouse populations in western Canada.