Tulsa expert on cliff swallows will present next NAS Seminar

The next installment in the Natural and Applied Seminar Series takes place this Friday (Sept. 27) with a visiting biology professor from the University of Tulsa discussing a bird species whose gourdlike mud nests are quite familiar to those in the Cofrin Library and other buildings across campus: the cliff swallow. Prof. Charles Brown will present “The Costs and Benefits of Coloniality in Cliff Swallows: Insights from a 30-year Study.” The size of any given colony, it appears, can greatly affect the birds’ ability to survive and thrive. Brown will also share recent findings involving natural selection and the birds’ ability to avoid being hit by vehicles along roadways. His presentation begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 301 of the Environmental Sciences Building, preceded by a 3 p.m. social in ES 317.