Science Under the Stars: Changing Birds in a Changing Texas

Texas is a facing a number of environmental changes. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and human development are reshaping ecosystems that plants and animals depend on. Birds respond quickly to environmental change, making them important indicators of human impacts. Brian Srokes will explore how different species in Texas are adapting, declining or shifting their ranges, and what those responses might tell us about the future. Understanding these patterns helps us protect the state’s remarkable biodiversity as conditions continue to change.

Brian Stokes is a Ph.D. student at UT Austin who studies how birds across Texas and North America are responding to a rapidly changing world. He investigates how species adapt or struggle as their habitats warm and shift. Brian uses everything from community science observations on apps like eBird and iNaturalist to genomic tools to understand how birds are coping, from big range changes to tiny DNA-level adjustments. One of his current projects focuses on the Green Jay, a vibrant tropical bird expanding its range northward into Texas.

Schedule:

• 7:00 pm: Kid’s activities and natural history displays
• 7:15 pm: Guided tour of Brackenridge Field Laboratory
• 8:00 pm: Talk begins
• 8:45 pm: Q&A with speaker

The talk will be held outdoors at Brackenridge Field Laboratory. 

Science Under the Stars is a free public outreach lecture series in Austin, Texas run by UT graduate students. Events are held outdoors at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, 2907 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703. Find schedules and links for each event on the SUtS blog, Instagram, X/Twitter and YouTube channel, or sign up on their listserv to get event notifications.