Eamon C. Corbett

In writing my bird eye color review paper, I’ve looked at thousands of bird eyes. Here’s a thread of my top 10 favorites ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Why do birds have all these crazy eye colors? Check out our paper, out now in Ibis: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/A…

A new reference genome for the Boat-tailed Grackle is now available, paving the way for advancing research in avian genetics and conservation. Big congratulations to @eamon_corbett @brantfaircloth and team! #Genomics #Ornithology 🐦‍ Read more: hubs.la/Q03kB2nS0

Calling All Seal Enthusiasts! Following my presentation at WILDLABS Variety Hour last week, I'm now excited to announce that our paper has been published. Interested in the deep-sea behaviors of northern elephant seals? 🦭 Dive in: journals.plos.org/plosone/articl… @WILDLABSNET

I'm very excited to have these observations in the scientific literature, and hope that they prompt anyone else who finds a common bird with unusual eyes to take notice- and write it up!

So what's going on with these birds? We speculate that a mutation in a gene involved in pteridine pigmentation has resulted in a loss of red-brown pigment, allowing pre-existing white pigment (likely a different pteridine) to shine through. But that's just supposition for now.

There are many reports of feather color mutations in birds- but almost none of abnormal eye colors! Our new paper in Southeastern Naturalist began when I saw a Facebook post about a Red-bellied Woodpecker in Florida with white (not red-brown) eyes. (1/4) doi.org/10.1656/058.02…

Interested in grackles and bird eye color? The recording of my #Evol2024 talk is now available here! youtu.be/Qaf3hsvuVzU?si…

My #Evol2024 talk on grackles and eye color is this afternoon at 4:45pm - stop by the Phylogeography II session (520E) to check it out!

The world’s most important fossil is coming to the @FieldMuseum. The Archaeopteryx, the link between dinosaurs and birds, changed how scientists understood evolution — now the 13th to ever be found finds its home in Chicago. Illinois really is in the #MiddleofEverything.

The 2024 LSUMNS Ornithology Big Day is over, and we’re back in Baton Rouge getting some much needed rest. Our last new bird of the day was a Bonaparte’s Gull at sundown, and our total number of species was 185. You can still donate at givelsu.org/bigday

The 2024 LSU Big Day store is now live! Geaux get your T-shirt! lsuornithology2024.itemorder.com/shop/home/

The T-shirt store is live just in time! We've teamed up with Red Stick Sports to offer two different t-shirt designs. Buy your official Big Day 2024 T-shirt here lsuornithology2024.itemorder.com/shop/home/ Note we cannot fundraise from t-shirt sales, so please also donate at givelsu.org/bigday

Introducing the 2024 LSUMNS Ornithology Big Year team! Support the fundraiser at givelsu.org/bigday (Thread 1/7) #lsumnsbigday2024

As the clock strikes midnight, we begin our 2024 Big Day! We have 24 hours to detect as many different species we can throughout the state of Louisiana. Follow along here and donate to the fundraiser at givelsu.org/bigday

Follow along @lsu_mns for 24-hour birding content all day tomorrow, and consider donating at givelsu.org/bigday to support our museum grad students!

Tomorrow, a team of LSUMNS Ornithology grad students are taking advantage of the cool weather to do the annual Big Day fundraiser! They will take over this account to tweet their progress throughout the day. Follow along and donate to the fundraiser at givelsu.org/bigday

Please RT: I’ll be recruiting in Fall 2024! Fieldwork in Chile, Peru, & the Tetons. Potential grad students (MS & PhD), undergrads, & postdocs, please reach out. Por favor RT: Pronto buscaré estudiantes (MS, PhD) y postdocs para el lab—ponte en contacto si estás interesado/a!

Instead of iridescent plumage, it has an iridescent beak! Image by Francesco Veronesi

Honored to receive this recognition for our paper! A big thank you to @IBIS_journal, @LeicaBirding, and to everyone who enjoyed reading about bird eye color! 🦉👀 Check it out here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ib…

Voting for @IBIS_journal's best paper by an early career researcher is open until Monday! You can check out our bird eye color paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ib… and vote for it at bou.org.uk/ibis/ibis-best…