AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS—July 31, 2026—If you’re wondering why you’re suddenly seeing roaming clutches of hatted and ‘binoculared’ folks roaming around Western Massachusetts, here’s why: The University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst will be host to the 144th Annual Meeting (AOS 2026) of the American Ornithological Society from August 3–7, 2026 in Amherst, Mass. This meeting will bring together more than 800 professional and amateur ornithologists, students, educators, conservationists, government officials and policy makers, researchers, and vendors from around the world to this verdant enclave located in the Pioneer River Valley of Western Massachusetts. The meeting’s theme, “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers,” is inspired by beloved local poet, Emily Dickinson, and invites us to reflect on the persistence, resilience, and promise embodied by the birds we study, protect, and admire.
Over the course of the five-day meeting, ornithologists, students, and bird enthusiasts will come together for a dynamic program of plenaries, symposia, workshops, roundtables, bird walks, field trips, and social events. The shared goal remains clear: to advance ornithological science, strengthen conservation practice, galvanize our scientific community, and support and inspire the next generation of researchers and advocates. Several local artists and performers, including Extremely Accurate Birds and a local favorite band, the Soul Magnets, will add to the celebratory atmosphere.
On Monday evening, renowned local bird guide author and illustrator, David Sibley, will deliver a keynote address titled “You can observe a lot by just watching,” and will speak to the importance of observation in science. Describing his talk, Sibley writes, “I will discuss my process of drawing, some of my recent discoveries, and how something as simple as watching a redstart catch a gnat can be reassuring and hopeful.” He adds, “Every new insight fits into and expands my understanding of natural patterns, and that gives me a sense of my own place on the globe and across the span of time.”
Invited plenary speakers include director of the Mass Audubon Coastal Waterbird Program, Lyra Brennan, M.S., and Patty Rodriguez Brennan, Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences at Mount Holyoke College. Lyra Brennan’s talk, “Enduring commitment and unprecedented success: the conservation of beach-nesting birds in Massachusetts,” will address the successes of a Mass Audubon effort to restore threatened populations of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus), Least Terns (Sterna antillarum), and American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus). Patty Rodriguez Brennan’s talk, “Science Lessons from the Sex Life of Birds,” will talk about mating systems and unexplored areas in genital studies in birds, focusing on the oft-overlooked avian clitoris.
La Kretz Center for Conservation Science Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles. AOS James G. Cooper Early Professional Award winner.
Three 2026 winners of the AOS’s prestigious early professional achievement awards will also deliver plenary talks over the course of the week. Devon De Radd, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow from La Kretz Center for Conservation Science, University of California, Los Angeles and AOS James G. Cooper Early Professional Award winner will speak on “Understanding the evolutionary forces governing global biodiversity accumulation.” Fenygi Guo, Rose Postdoctoral Fellow and Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow in Sustainability at Cornell University and AOS James G. Cooper Early Professional Award winner will speak about “Stopover ecology and conservation of migratory landbirds in North America.” Michigan State University assistant professor and AOS Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award winner Olivia M. Smith, Ph.D., will speak about “Farming with the flock: Redesigning agricultural systems for people and nature.“
Jameson (Jim) Chace, Ph.D., a professor of biology and chair of the department of Cultural, Environmental and Global Studies at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, is this year’s meeting chair. “Amherst will be a fabulous setting for this year’s AOS conference bringing together ornithologists from across the globe to share insights, discoveries and camaraderie,” Chace says. He is joined by local planning chair, Susannah Lerman, Ph.D., a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station and adjunct professor at UMass Amherst. Lerman says, “Having AOS at UMass is a real honor. This campus has been my professional home base since 2005, and it’s the perfect place to bring together a vibrant community of ornithologists.”
Members of the media interested in covering AOS 2026 can consult the meeting website to inquire about obtaining press passes. For more information, see meeting.americanornithology.org.
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About the American Ornithological Society
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an international society dedicated to connecting ornithologists, science, and bird conservation by supporting science that advances the understanding and conservation of birds; promoting broad access to ornithological science; supporting ornithologists throughout their career paths; and fostering a welcoming, diverse, supportive, and dynamic ornithological community. The AOS publishes two top-ranked international scientific journals, Ornithology and Ornithological Applications, and hosts an annual conference that attracts ornithologists from across the globe. Its robust grants program supports student and early-career professional research initiatives. The society’s check-lists serve as the accepted authorities for scientific nomenclature and English common names of birds in the Americas. The AOS is also a partner with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the online Birds of the World, a rich database of species accounts of the world’s birds. The AOS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving about 3,000 members globally. For more information, see www.americanornithology.org.
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