Esteban Fernández-Juricic

Welcome to Ornithology (Bio 424)

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Why is Ornithology important for your professional background?

Birds have generated a great deal of interest by amateur and professional ornithologists in the last two centuries because of their widespread distribution and high diversity (about 9,600 living species). This makes birds interesting models to answer research questions and to assess the environmental quality of different types of ecosystems (e.g., bioindicators). As a result, many of the jobs available at Federal Agencies, non-profit organizations, consulting companies, and Universities (graduate studies, post-docs, Faculty positions) involve knowledge of bird biology and ecology.

What are the prerequisites?

BIOL350, but I would be willing to waive it based on the courses you have taken. Please, contact me.

What is the class schedule?

Lectures: Tuesdays 9-10:45

Labs/field work: Thursdays 8:30-10:45 (most of the time from 9:00-10:45)

Goals of the course

The main goal is to understand why and how birds are so diverse. To that end, students will need to learn the major aspects of bird biology and analyze them carefully and logically from different points of view. The identification of birds (and their behavior) in the lab and the field will allow students to appreciate the ecological and evolutionary basis of their diversity. Furthermore, students are expected to develop their writing and oral communication skills in order to make ideas about birds accessible to others.

Does the course require a textbook?

NO!

What are the main lecture and lab topics?

In Lectures, you will study the ecology, physiology, and behavior of birds from an evolutionary perspective, but also considering the biological reasons that have influenced a recent increase in their extinction risk.

In the Labs, the first part of the course will be devoted to refreshing concepts of experimental design and statistics applied to avian ecology; the second part will be devoted to the study of the taxonomy of birds (bird identification), and the third part to conducting a research project in groups. The research project could be field-based, lab-based, or computer-based (your choice).

Check former student's achievements

Who is the Instructor?

Dr. Esteban Fernández-Juricic, who runs the Behavior and Conservation Lab at CSULB.

How can you learn more about Ornithology?

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone (562-985-7597) or e-mail (efernand@csulb.edu).

You are also welcome to stop by my office (PH1-226) or arrange a meeting.

What is the teaching approach of the course?

The best way of learning Ornithology is to think critically about the ecology and evolution of birds. Thinking critically will be promoted through deeper questioning, challenging assumptions, finding new strategies to solve problems, exploring innovative approaches, and answering thought-provoking questions. During lectures and laboratory work, I will use different teaching resources, such as group projects, student debates, classroom presentations, videos, etc. Lab and field work will allow students to integrate the theoretical and empirical aspects of Ornithology through the identification of different taxonomic groups and the development of short-term research projects. Communication skills will be improved through presentations and discussions of original research conducted by students.

Most course activities will approached through a guided inquiry process. Guided inquiry is a multifaceted process that involves making observations; posing questions; examining the literature to determine what is already known; planning research; using tools to gather, analyze and interpret data; discussing the results of novel experimental evidence; proposing answers, explanations and predictions; and communicating the results. Guided inquiry gives equal weight to knowledge and skills through a hands-on, activity-based focus that relies on strong content. Some activities will be highly structured (considerable instructor guidance through detailed procedures, pre-made data tables and questions that call for fairly specific answers), while others will be less structured (students will have much more responsibility for collecting, recording, and analyzing data). The goals of combining both types of activities are to (a) explore concepts in real-world situations, (b) use evidence to reason through a problem, and (c) use concepts to reach independent conclusions justified by evidence.