Ornithology (Zoology 321) at UT Martin

Course Goals: Study various aspects of bird biology, including aspects of anatomy and physiology specific to birds, bird systematics, bird reproduction and life history, bird behavior, and bird ecology.  Learn to identify, classify, and describe life history of some representitive species from northwest Tennessee.  Learn some of the methods used to study birds.

Prerequisites: Biology 110-120

    Lecture: There is no lecture textbook; material on lecture exams will come from lectures and, possibly, from assigned outside readings (to be assigned later.)  If you would like textbook descriptions of topics covered in lecture, the text Ornithology, by Frank Gill, is a good source and is available in the UTM library.

    Laboratory:  Pitts, T.D. An Introduction to the Birds of Northwest Tennessee (Required)
                            Peterson, R.T. Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Required)

• two lecture exams @ 100 points each
• one comprehensive final exam @ 200 points
• three practical lab quizzes @ 25 points each
• one lab final @ 50 points
• two field quizzes @ 25 points each
• two written scientific reports @ 25 points each
• a field notebook @ 40 points
• a species description from the Birds of North America  @ 10 points
• preparation of a study skin @ 20 points

The lecture exams and final exam will be in a mixed format, including fill-in, multiple choice, essay, and drawing and interpreting diagrams.

The lab quizzes and lab final will be practical: you will be required to identify species from study skins, identify aspects of anatomy studied in lab, and provide additional required information (to be described in lab) about the identified species/parts.

The field quizzes will be taken in the field, and will require identification of species seen in the field.

The scientific reports will be based on excercises conducted by the class during laboratory sections and will be presented in standard scientific format; more information will be given elsewhere

The field notebook will be used to take observations of bird species in the field during outdoor laboratories.  The notebooks have very strict format and content requirements: click here for a description of field notebook requirements.  You must print these requirements and bring them to the first (and subsequent) laboratories.  Examples of field notebook pages will also be provided, in lab.

The species description is designed to introduce you to The Birds of North America (BNA), a wonderful library resource for North American ornithologists.  Eventually, this series will include a description of every North American bird species.  The descriptions are written by different ornithologists; typically, the ornithologist who writes a description of the species is someone with a large amount of research experience with that species.  This series is present in the reference section of the library.  For the assignment, you are to sign up (I will post a sign-up sheet on my door) for a species that generally occurs in Tennessee for at least part of the year.  Students must sign up for different species, so check the list when you get to my door and sign up for something that no one has already signed up for.  Sign-up is first come, first served.  The species description must include: the correct citation of the species account (the correct format is given in the BNA volumes), and the following information, to be taken from the account: (1) a description of the appearance of breeding males and females of the species, (2) a statement of the geographic breeding range of the species, and (3) descriptions of three aspects of the biology of the species, to be chosen from the following list: systematics, migration (for migratory species only!), habitat, food habits, sounds, behavior, breeding, demography and populations, conservation and management, priorities for future research.  This information must be written in a short (2 typed, double-spaces pages MAXIMUM), concise, grammatically correct, well-written and organized descriptive essay.  It must be presented typed, double-spaced, with margins of at least 1".  Write so that your essay would provide a clear description of the species to a student in a different class with only a minimum (Biology 110-120 level) knowledge of biology.

Preparation of a study skin will involve each student preparing a stuffed bird skin according to standard museum techniques.  You may use a skin of a bird you find dead during the semester (but no raptors or endangered species -- my salvage permit does not cover them!) or a bird from our freezer.

Exam/Assignment Policies: exams and quizzes for lecture and lab must be taken on the day they are given; make-up exams/quizzes will NOT be given.  Note that lecture and lab exams/quizzes will be given during the "test time" for this course, which is on Friday during the usual lecture time of 10-11; field quizzes will be given during scheduled lab periods.  Your lecture final score can substitute for ONE previous lecture exam if it benefits you or if you had to miss one of the exams.  If you must miss a lab quiz for a VERY GOOD reason that I approve in advance (a serious medical/family emergency or university activity), your lab final percentage can be used to determine the score for one lab quiz.  If you must miss a field quiz, see me as soon as possible to see if you can make it up during the other lab section during the week.  If you can't make it up, see me anyway -- we'll work something out (I might be willing to let you make up a field quiz if you had a VERY good excuse for missing it!)

Papers must be turned in either directly to me or to the biology department office by 5:00 p.m on the day they are due.  Papers MUST be typed, double-spaced, and written in the clear, concise, grammatically correct style recommended for scientific writing.  Late papers will not be accepted unless you have a major medical/family emergency that I approve in advance.  Your study skin must be completed by the day noted and left (to dry) in the museum room across from Clement 186 (the lab room.)

It is your responsibility to keep a copy of every paper you hand in until you receive the graded copy back; if there is every any question about whether you did or did not turn in an assignment, I will ask you for your copy.  If you can produce it quickly, I will give you credit and ask no further questions; if you can NOT produce a copy, you will not receive credit for the assignment (even if you are sure you handed it in.)

You must bring your field notebook and a black ink pen with waterproof ink to every outdoor lab.  I can pick them up to check/grade without notice in any outdoor lab period; if I notice that people are missing notebooks you can be sure that I will decide to pick them up to grade that day!  I will not necessarily pick up notebooks from both lab sections during the same week.  You will turn in your notebook for the final time during the last lab section (the second field quiz.)  You will be graded for the quality of your field notebook based on observations taken during the scheduled outdoor labs; if you miss a lab, ask me and I MAY allow you to go out on your own to take observations, but only if you had a very good reason, which I approved, for missing lab.

• Links to Bird Order Pictures on the Web (go to this site to visit various sites with pictures of birds from different orders)
• Scientific Writing Instructions (this site has instructions on how to write a lab report and general information on the expected writing style for scientific papers, and my courses.)