Pierre Deviche

Hybrids result from the mating of two individuals of different species or subspecies. Naturally occurring hybrid birds are often neglected by birders and thought of as uninteresting biological oddities. Yet studying these birds can shed light on the processes of evolution and speciation, i.e., the formation of new species. I will discuss the prevalence of hybridization across avian groups, challenges associated with measuring and documenting this prevalence, some main unanswered questions, the contributions that birders can make to improving our understanding of these fascinating organisms, and the importance of avian hybridization in modern biological research.

Pierre Deviche received a Ph.D. in comparative neurobiology from The University of Liege, Belgium and pursued a career in environmental physiology for 40 years. He served on the faculty of The University of Alaska Fairbanks for 11 years and then as Professor of Environmental Physiology at Arizona State University until retiring last year. He is primarily interested in the behavioral and physiological adjustments of birds to their environment and in particular to urbanization. His research at ASU combined field and laboratory studies on several avian species, and focused on the effects of stress and reproductive hormones. His research has produced over 150 publications in the form of research articles and book chapters. He is an avid birder and served on the Arizona Bird Committee. He also has a keen interest in odonates and wildlife photography.