Crow Expert to Discuss Unique Bird Behavior

Related Media

John Marzluff

CORTLAND, NY (04/13/2011)(readMedia)-- John Marzluff, a specialist in wildlife relationships and avian social ecology, will discuss the behavior of crows and ravens on Tuesday, April 19, at SUNY Cortland.

Marzluff, a professor of wildlife science in the College of the Environment at the University of Washington, will begin his talk, "The Surprising Behavior of Crows," at 7 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 205.

The talk is the annual Wilkins Bird Lecture of the Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture (LHCEC). Co-sponsored by SUNY Cortland's Biology Club, the lecture is free and open to the public.

Refreshments will be served and a question and answer session will follow.

Marzluff will sign copies of his recently published book, Dog Days, Raven Nights, and his 2005 book, In the Company of Crows and Ravens.

Highly regarded for his work with Corvids, a bird group that includes crows, jays and ravens, Marzluff will explore the biological bases and the astonishing abilities of crows and ravens.

"Do crows really talk, give gifts and use surfboards?" Marzluff writes. "Of course they do, and so much more."

Marzluff earned a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana and a master's degree in biology from Northern Arizona University. He received a doctorate in zoology from Northern Arizona and performed postdoctoral work at the University of Vermont.

The annual Wilkins Bird Lecture was established by the Cortland County Bird Club, now called the Cortland Lime Hollow Bird Club, in 1988, in honor of club founder Connie Wilkins. The program is continued by the LHCEC, a member-funded, non-profit organization situated on the Cortland and Tompkins County border. The organization offers free hiking trails, public nature and educational programs, and adventure day camps for youth.

For more information, contact Peter Harrity, associate director of the LHCEC, at (607) 662-4632 or associatedirector@limehollow.org.