January 2026 Updates
Featured Paper of the Month:
First Record of the Slate-throated Redstart for California
Photo documentation of California’s first Slate-throated Redstart (Myioborus miniatus) in San Francisco.
Photo credit: Henry Chiu
Dominik Mosur and SOAR member Marty Freeland detail the occurrence of a Slate-throated Redstart (Myioborus miniatus) in an urban park in San Francisco from 29 July to 16 September 2024, establishing the first record for California and the northernmost for the species. The bird showed characters of the northern subspecies, M. m. miniatus. It may have reached this site as a late spring overshoot or possibly via a molt migration. This represents the 47th species of wood-warbler (Parulidae) recorded in California, and—remarkably—the 46th for San Francisco County.
Research from the SOAR Network
Here, we’ve compiled recent papers published by SOAR-affiliated researchers. Click on the dark blue buttons to read each publication!
Tattoni et al. (2025) on long-term passerine moult phenology in a Mediterranean climate
León-Osper et al. (2025) on red floral UV pigments attracting birds and deterring bees
Haile et al. (2025) on Western Snowy Plover breeding dispersal post-nest failure
Trulio et al. (2025) on mate and site fidelity in Santa Clara's Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia)
Exciting New Research on California Birds
SOAR is just one of many initiatives in California conducting amazing studies about our state’s birds. Click the buttons to read each publication!
Ray et al. (2025) on fire boosting arboreal avian populations in the Sierra Nevada
Hartman et al. (2025) on habitat factors informing the success of the California Waterbird Habitat Program
Clapp et al. (2025) on the impact of introduced trout on the Sierra Nevada bird community
Hillier-Weltman et al. (2025) on native shrub density impacts on bird communities in California's southern drylands
New Bird Research Across the Globe!
Amazing ornithological research is published every day by research teams across the world. Click on the dark blue button to read each publication!
Sierra-Morales et al. (2025) on Short-crested Coquettes
Nordmann et al. (2025) on magnetic sensing in pigeon brains
Zhu et al. (2025) on small, mobile avian frugivores connecting fragmented forest
Gómez-Martínez and MacGregor-Fors (2025) on a century of bird window strikes
