Symposiums

AOS 2026 symposia are an opportunity for an integrated synthesis of a new or timely topic that will have broad appeal at the meeting.

Pangenomes and population-scale long-read sequencing in avian evolutionary studies

Organisateurs: Leonardo Campagna, María Recuerda, and Scott V. Edwards

Non-model genomics has largely focused on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to characterize genetic variation. But other forms of genetic variation, like the diverse set of so-called structural variants (SVs; e.g., larger duplications or inversions), differ in their genomic frequency, physical scale, and potential evolutionary consequences. However, our understanding of how they contribute to the evolution of avian systems and their importance in conservation biology is limited. Short-read sequencing technologies impose limitations on reference genome construction, and additional constraints arise from relying on a single reference genome, which introduces reference bias and leads to the systematic omission of SVs. In contrast, long-read sequencing technologies enable higher-quality reference genomes and improve SV discovery by spanning repetitive regions. Furthermore, integrating multiple reference genomes into a pangenome can capture a comprehensive representation of genomic variation within a species or population. Pangenomes can help mitigate biases against classes of genetic variation that have been historically difficult to detect. This symposium will bring together a diverse set of speakers, working on tropical and temperate avian systems, to explore how pangenomes promise to revolutionize the study of avian genomics and evolution. This session will appeal to those working in population genomics, phylogenomics, speciation and the genetic basis of phenotypic traits.

From the first spark to conservation: Social Science insights into the link between engagement with birds and conservation action

Organisateurs: Jenn Lodi-Smith, Tina Phillips, and Seunguk Shin

The science of birding has found a promising link between human interactions with birds and conservation action. The significant moments with bird species that “spark” interest in and passion for birding are hypothesized to be a crucial factor in the development of conservation actions for birds and broader wildlife. Emerging research suggests that interdisciplinary social science approaches are effective in exploring the pathway from initial, meaningful contact with birds to active participation in conservation initiatives. 

This session will provide an overview of social science insights into and methods for understanding the life cycle of human engagement with birds, including the ways birds create hope in our lives and actions. Current findings from The Spark Bird Project will share common spark birds, ages of spark experiences, and psychological themes and patterns within spark bird stories. Additional research will communicate the importance of life experiences in shaping conservation mindsets and overall well-being. Community-based research indicates the important roles of perceived impact and self-efficacy as predictors for engaging in bird-friendly action. These findings help inform how individuals and organizations can take action to help inclusively inspire and motivate human engagement with avian conservation.

The Optimisymposium III: Celebrating success in avian conservation

Organisateurs: Sarah W. Kendrick and W. Andrew Cox

The Optimisymposium is the AOS’s third annual symposium designed to showcase high-impact avian conservation wins throughout the world. The purpose of the Optimisymposium is to combat the sense of loss and ecological grief that conservationists rightly face in their work. The symposium will remind conference attendees of the many successes that the conservation community has achieved in recent years. It will focus on habitat restoration milestones, population recoveries, and innovative funding and management models to underscore the multidisciplinary nature of successful conservation work during the Anthropocene. Presentations will also highlight the effective intersection of research, stakeholder engagement, and management in an effort to inspire hope and creative thinking among conservation professionals; it is needed now more than ever.

Diversity within species: How birds and their responses vary across geographic ranges

Organisateurs: Casey Youngflesh and Ben Tonelli

Species ranges often span large geographic areas across which environmental conditions can be highly variable. To adapt and persist in such a wide range of environments, species often exhibit considerable variation in their genetics, morphology and behavior. Focusing on intraspecific variation, an important but often overlooked component of biodiversity, can give us a better understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes that structure ecosystems and how they are likely to respond to ongoing global change. This material is both timely and relevant, speaking to the meeting theme “Hope is the thing with feathers.”

In this symposium, talks will present work related to intraspecific variation from several distinct points of view. Some talk topics are geographically specific, such as the genetics of grassland birds and applied conservation implications, while others are geographically broad, like the changing spring departure timing across 350+ migratory bird species around the world. Talks will answer questions related to both applied conservation, and address long-standing debates in ornithology, such as why birds have larger clutch sizes at higher latitudes.

Finding hope for birds through long-term partnerships in monitoring and conservation efforts in National Parks

Organisateurs: Aaron Weed, Zach Ladin, Olivia Smith, and Miranda Zammarelli

As the National Park Service celebrates America’s 250th anniversary this year, we continue the legacy of honoring and protecting our collective natural and cultural resources and history. Critical to that mission, is ensuring diverse ecosystems represented in national parks continue to function and thrive for future generations. Here, we celebrate the powerful collaborations among partners and the National Park Service that provide much hope for conserving bird populations and communities that enrich our lives and play a key ecological role in sustaining our shared wild places and cultural heritage.

National parks are important areas for bird conservation. Despite their protected status, many of these areas throughout the USA are affected by a synergy of anthropogenic threats such as climate change and urbanization that lead to habitat loss and degradation, increases in extreme storms, sea level rise, and the introduction of invasive species and disease. Given these stressors and bird movement across administrative boundaries, coordinated, adaptive management among partners is key to achieving long-term conservation of birds and ecosystems.

This symposium highlights exciting research, monitoring, and partnerships occurring within forest, coastal, and grassland ecosystems to enhance action taken towards protecting birds and their habitats to secure hope for their future in our nation’s treasured parks.

An iconic shorebird, the American Woodcock: life history, ecology, and management

Organisateurs: Amber Roth and Scott McWilliams

Scolopax minor is a widespread North American shorebird exhibiting rangewide population decline. The Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative (woodcockmigration.org) was formed to understand the migratory ecology of the American Woodcock in the context of the full annual cycle and its implications for conservation. American Woodcock is an ideal model species to understand complex life history, ecology, and management of migratory birds at large as demonstrated by the broad range of research topics proposed for this symposium: (1) how migration and reproduction of males and females overlap in space and time (i.e., itinerant breeding) and its implications for population genetics and management; (2) broad-scale patterns of distribution and abundance and its implications for habitat management; and (3) testing the umbrella species concept: the extent to which habitat management for woodcock benefits nontarget songbirds.

Now more than ever: the need for collaborative applied science for bird conservation

Organisateurs: Becky Stewart, Sarah W. Kendrick, Randy Dettmers, and Jim Giocomo

Integrating research and conservation is critical to migratory bird population recovery. Yet the path from science to implementation is not simple or even linear. Partners in Flight (PIF) is a network of 150 organizations that regularly navigate this path to achieve landbird conservation. Partners range from not-for-profit organizations to conservation research-focused academics, to government managers, funders, and industry. Each partner brings their strengths, capacities, and expertise to achieve conservation outcomes for our shared birds.  This symposium will highlight how PIF translates science into conservation outcomes through collaborative conservation delivery systems at international, national, regional, and local scales. Speakers will showcase PIF science tools and initiatives to demonstrate how science informs conservation planning frameworks, funding mechanisms, and management. Further, partners will demonstrate how ornithological research has been synthesized and applied across geographic scales to support adaptive management and measurable outcomes for birds. Speakers discuss how we (including you) as the bird research and conservation community, can leverage and amplify these achievements and also explore new approaches and paths to advance bird population recovery through continued coordination and collaboration.

Early Professionals Mini-Talk Symposium

Organisateur: Emily V. Griffith

The Early Professionals Mini-Talk Symposium is a judged symposium that follows a similar format and goal to historic symposia of the same name held at past AOS/NAOC meetings. In 2026, this symposium will feature mini-talks from up to 12 early career professionals.

Participants in this symposium will be encouraged to tell a story about themselves and the birds they study to an audience of ornithologists both in and outside of their field. Selected symposium participants will have 4 minutes and 30 seconds to provide a summary of the broad themes of their work. These presentations are meant to be a synthesis of past, present, and future work intended to introduce the early career professional to a broad audience of ornithological professionals and to generate excitement about their careers. The session will conclude with a group panel (20-30 minutes in length) where all participants are able to answer questions from the audience. 

Trait polymorphisms in birds

Organisateur: Bryce Robinson

A long-standing problem in ornithology is how within-population trait variation is generated and maintained in natural populations. These polymorphisms are widespread in birds, with the most obvious examples pertaining to differences in feather color, pattern, and structure. While trait polymorphisms have been studied for decades, most previous work has relied on either candidate-gene approaches for understanding their genetic basis or tested hypotheses with a singular focus on proximate or ultimate mechanisms. While these insights have proved valuable, the understandably limited scope of past work has resulted in gaps in our broader understanding of these patterns. There is now a high potential to advance our understanding of the role of trait variation in the evolution and maintenance of diversity throughout birds and to take an integrative approach to pairing these new techniques with previous insights. This symposium brings together the diverse voices of those working on within-population trait variation across all avian taxa. By joining as a community to highlight the diversity of trait polymorphisms and our current understanding of their evolutionary history and ecological role, we identify unique instances and universal themes and emphasize future research priorities.