With an unparalleled depth of knowledge about this amazing avian species, Dr. Brown will present an overview and research highlights of a long-term study of social behavior in Cliff Swallows in western Nebraska, focusing on why these animals live in groups.

Brown will discuss how the birds are affected by bedbug-like parasites, how they avoid predators by living in colonies, how colony members use each other to find food, how they lay eggs in each other