Avian Einsteins

Nicola Clayton is professor Comparative Cognition in the Department of Experimental Psychology at Cambridge University and a Fellow of Clare College. Clayton’s work in integrating biology and psychology led to a re-evaluation of the cognitive capacities of animals, particularly birds, resulting in a theory that intelligence evolved independently in at least two disparate groups, apes and corvids. read more

At Duke University, neurobiologist Erich Jarvis leads a team that studies the abilities of songbirds, parrots and hummingbirds to learn new sounds and pass along a vocal repertoire in to the next generation. read more

Irene Pepperberg is Adjunct Associate Professor at Brandeis University and Research Associate and Lecturer at Harvard. She has studied the cognitive and communicative ability of Grey parrots for over two decades. Her book, Alex and Me, a description of life with her famous subject, became a New York Times bestseller. read more

Jonathan Rosen has written about the ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird long thought to be extinct. His most recent books are The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature and The Talmud and the Internet. His writings have also appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker magazine, the American Scholar and numerous anthologies. read more

David Rothenberg is a Professor of Philosophy and Music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and is the author of Why Birds Sing and Thousand Mile Song, about making music with whales. He writes on the deep connections between humans and the natural world. read more

Faith Salie hosted NPR’s Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie and hosts Sundance Channel’s coverage of the Sundance Film Festival. She is a monthly contributor to O, the Oprah Magazine and has appeared as a commentator on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as CNN and Fox News. As an actor and comedian, she has appeared in numerous sitcoms and dramas—from Bravo’s Significant Others to Sex and the City. She earned her sci-fi cred in a recurring role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. read more

Irena Schulz is the founder and president of Bird Lovers Only Rescue Service, Inc., but is perhaps best known for her cockatoo, Snowball, the famous dancing bird on You Tube.  Irena worked as a molecular biologist studying Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease, but has dedicated her entire life to owning, studying, and caring for parrots.  She is currently collaborating on cognitive music studies with Snowball as the subject of study. read more

Ofer Tchernichovski is an Associate Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Animal Behavior at City University of New York’s City College. His work involves mapping the mechanisms of song learning by studying the behavior and dynamics of the sound production of song birds.