For Immediate Release Contact: Greg Borzo (312) 665-7100 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org Programs in which Field Museum scientists will participate 1. Early Bird ($2 million) Early Bird will determine the evolutionary relationships among major groups of birds. These relationships will serve as a comparative framework with which to organize and understand the vast amount of information already available on avian ecology, evolution, physiology and behavior. The project will generate large amounts of DNA sequence data for all major avian lineages (approximately 20,000 base pairs for 500 species). A rapidly expanding suite of computational tools will be used to analyze this evidence and determine patterns and evolutionary relationships. The data will be made accessible to other researchers and the general public through a website with progress reports and interactive educational tools. The impact of this project on science and society will be far reaching, says Hackett, a principal investigator on Early Bird: “Birds are among the most prominent and engaging creatures in most ecosystems. They have been the subject of an extraordinary number and diversity of scientific studies that figure largely in our understanding of the natural world and humanity’s place in it. “Birds’ position high in many food chains, together with their great mobility, makes them sensitive indicators of environmental quality,” she adds. “Furthermore, the monitoring of bird populations is widely used to set conservation and management priorities.” Partners include Australian Natural Wildlife Collection, The Field Museum, Louisiana State University, Museum Victoria (Melbourne), National Museum of Natural History/Smithsonian, University of Florida, University of Glasgow and Wayne State University. Continue