Event

Lecture | Beyond the Rainbow; The Spectacular Colours of Birds | Au-delà de l’arc-en-ciel; les couleurs spectaculaires des oiseaux

Saturday, April 21, 2018 13:00to14:30
Thomson House Ballroom, 3rd floor, 3650 rue McTavish, Montreal, QC, H3A 1Y2, CA

THIS LECTURE IS NOW FULL.

TO BE PLACED ON THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE EMAIL roaar.library [at] mcgill.ca.

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Free public lecture offered in English | conférence publique gratuite offerte en anglais 

Have you ever wondered how a bird sees the world? Is a yellow bird really yellow through a bird's eyes?

Birds can see much that is invisible to humans: colours, motion, and details. Ornithologist Robert Montgomerie will reveal how research on bird colouration changes our understanding of how birds see the world. 

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Avez-vous déjà demandé ce que le monde ressemble d'une vue d'oiseau? Un oiseau jaune est-il vraiment jaune?

Les oiseaux peuvent voir beaucoup de choses qui sont invisibles aux humains: les couleurs, le mouvement et les détails. L'ornithologue en vedette Robert Montgomerie, révélera comment la recherche sur la coloration des oiseaux change notre compréhension de ce que les oiseaux peuvent voir.

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Presented by ROAAr (Rare & Special Collections, Osler, Art, and Archives) 


"Just about everything that I find interesting about animals is due to sexual selection—colours, songs, extravagant ornaments, displays, and, of course, sex." - Robert Montgomerie, professor of evolutionary biology, Queen's University

Professor Montgomerie's research group studies the evolution of reproductive strategies, with emphasis on sexual selection especially sperm competition and the evolution of animal coloration. While birds and fishes are the main focus of the work, the research is focused more in questions than taxa. Recent studies have also included snakes, mammals, and fruit flies. With regards to teaching, Professor Montgomerie's primary goal is to help students explore the wonders of biology (and statistics!), and then, especially, to communicate about what they have learned by writing or public speaking. University is mainly about learning how to learn. Course topics include advanced statistics for biologists (undergraduate and graduate); history, and philosophy of biology.

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