In a new Current Biology article, senior author Peter Marra, director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative (GEI) and professor in the Department of Biology, found that some of the small songbirds, after completing their annual migration of over 1,700 miles, unexpectedly started moving long distances between breeding sites, at a time when most of them remain within their territories.  

“This is a game-changer – the process of dispersal, or moving from one breeding site to another, has profound effects on a species’ ability to respond quickly to habitat loss and climate change,” says Peter Marra, also a scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC), whose researchers contributed to the study. “If long-distance dispersal is commonly informed through prospecting behaviors, scientists will need to rethink how they make predictions about how populations will adapt in the face of large-scale environmental change.”

Advancing Georgetown’s commitment to the environment and sustainability, GEI brings together students, faculty and staff from across disciplines such as the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, public policy, law, medicine and business to deepen global understanding and transformation of the earth’s stewardship.  

Going the Distance

Led by Nathan Cooper, Smithsonian researchers attached small radio tags to more than 100 Kirtland’s warblers in their Bahamas wintering grounds and then used a continent-wide network of automated telemetry receivers called the to track their movements. 

They discovered that the birds traveled surprisingly long distances during the breeding season. 

After traveling from these wintering areas, the warblers arrived at their Michigan breeding grounds where each radio-tagged bird initially established one or more small territories. 

A total of 11% of breeders and 60% of non-breeders, however, abandoned this common space use strategy and began moving long distances between three and 48 miles, often at night, between spatially isolated breeding areas.

“Discovering these hidden movements by Kirtland’s warblers challenges us to reshape how we think about animal movement,” said Smithsonian lead author Nathan Cooper. “As technology continues to improve, scientists will almost certainly detect similar long-distance movements in other bird species. If birds are moving farther than previously understood, we may not be conserving and protecting all the land area and habitats they require.”  

Traditionally, scientists have thought that birds rarely leave their well-defended territories during the breeding season. But some birds that fail to attract a mate or those whose nests fail early in the season sometimes abandon their territories and begin moving more widely than the rest of the population. 

Known as “floaters,” these birds typically move through the territories of other birds, presumably to find open territories and available mates. 

Only one of the Kirtland’s warblers that moved long distances in this study, however, successfully bred later that season. This suggests either that mid-season mating opportunities are rare or that these birds had another purpose in mind, the study reports. 

The authors say the frequency of long-distance movements peaked while other birds were feeding their nestlings and fledglings, which indicates that the transient birds may have moved in order to identify locations where other warblers successfully bred. 

Previous work has shown that many animals “prospect” for information about where to breed, but this behavior has mostly been documented at short distances.

“Scientists have known about the existence of ‘floaters’ in bird populations for decades, but their secretive behavior and unpredictable patterns of movement make them challenging to capture and even more difficult to track,” the study asserts.

To determine how rare these long-distance movements might be, researchers combed through hundreds of previous studies and found that although movements outside of the territory appear to be common, Kirtland’s warblers moved significantly farther than other species. The farthest flying Kirtland’s warbler moved 48 miles, or more than 500 times the radius of an average territory, and nearly four times farther relative to territory size than any other species reviewed.

, according to a study published in Science last year by the SMBC and several leading bird organizations. 

“Understanding how, when, where and why birds move is one piece of the complex puzzle of understanding why birds are declining and how to conserve them for the future,” says Marra, also the senior author of the Science article.  

Global Efforts

is dedicated to understanding, conserving and championing the grand phenomenon of bird migration. 

Founded in 1991, and part of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), SMBC scientists work to conserve migratory species through research and public education that foster a better understanding of migratory birds and the need to protect diverse habitats across the Western Hemisphere.

 SCBI plays a leading role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to save wildlife species from extinction and train future generations of conservationists, spearhead research programs at its headquarters in Front Royal, Virginia, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide.

Unexpected Materials on Exhibit

Over 40 works are being presented in the and the . From the detritus of the pineapple industry, a metallic fabric has been created called Piñatex out of which Dutch fashion designer Liselore Frowijn and Italian designer Laura Strambi made striking fashions. Waste from coconut crops finds form in a line of stylish purses designed by Malai in India. Compressed smog particles fill Dutch Daan Roosegaarde’s renowned Smog Free Ring. Simón Ballen Botero extricates pollutants from the ground water sullied by the gold mining industry in Colombia to create gleaming patinas on glass vessels. Dutch Nienke Hoogvliet harvests toilet paper from the sewage system that she reworks into furniture. Japanese Kosuke Araki couples historic methods of lacquering with new technologies to make dishes from food waste. Hair is the main material for the United Kingdom’s Oksana Bondar and Swine Studio when making furniture and accessories.

Dutch Invertuals, an innovative design studio, based in Eindhoven, Netherlands and known internationally for their creative work in the realms of architecture, design, and curatorial projects have designed the exhibition. The exhibition platforms, pedestals, and seating are being fabricated from an innovative building material sourced from textile industry waste and manufactured in Denmark by REALLY; REALLY Solid Textile Board was developed by exhibiting designer, Christien Meindertsma. That so many of the included designers are recent graduates or faculty of design academies and universities is evidence of a shift in the world of design and design education, from function at the service of aesthetic considerations to socially responsible, environmental amelioration. Designers who partner with material scientists and chemists, steered by ethical concerns, created the exciting, inventive works that comprise this groundbreaking exhibition.

Guest Curators Collaborate with Director Al Miner

The exhibition is organized by Georgetown University Art Galleries, and guest curated by Ginger Gregg Duggan and Judith Hoos Fox of c²-curatorsquared, an award-winning team known for their provocative curatorial work in contemporary art and design. According to , Founding Director/Chief Curator of Georgetown University Art Galleries, “we are incredibly proud to present this innovative exhibition that supports Georgetown University’s long-standing commitment to advancing social justice and global initiatives, and inspiring change. The surprising works on view will challenge preconceived notions of the artist/designer’s role in society and their ability to impact our world. The show will also be a springboard for interdisciplinary exchange bringing many of the University’s intellectual assets to a new audience through a related public engagement series wedding the arts with environmental studies, literature, theology and other themes.”

Design Transfigured/Waste Reimagined marks the first time a Georgetown University Art Galleries exhibition will go on tour; the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona will host the show February 1 – May 17, 2020. Funding is generously supported by organizations including the Georgetown University 2019 Laudato Si’ Fund, Creative Industries Fund NL, and the Netherland-America Foundation; additionally, this program is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.

Special Panel Discussion Moderated by Marra

Design Transfigured/Waste Reimagined will open with a on October 2 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  A series of free, multidisciplinary programs ranging from film screenings to public dialogues will expand upon themes of the exhibition. The first program on October 3 at 6:00 PM will be a including exhibition designers, a curator, and moderated by the director of the Georgetown Environmental Initiative and Laudato Si’ Professor of Biology and the Environment, . Details on further programs are listed on the gallery’s website.