Event Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Discovery Evening
Snow Buntings are the most northern-breeding songbird in the world. They are extreme cold specialists that migrate south from the Arctic to Manitoba for the winter. There are costs to being a cold-specialist given our rapidly warming planet. How are these little birds dealing with rapidly changing conditions in the Arctic, not to mention our warmer winters down south? To top it off, there is increasing infrastructure development in the North – can Snow Buntings handle an urban-Arctic future? Come hear about the latest research on migration patterns, urban-Arctic breeding buntings, and more!
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Dr. Emily McKinnon has been studying Snow Buntings for over 10 years with colleagues at the University of Windsor, Université du Quebec, and at the University of Manitoba. She has also studied many other migratory songbirds including Connecticut Warbler, Wood Thursh, Bicknell’s Thrush, and Golden-winged Warbler. Emily is currently a Science Education Specialist at the University of Manitoba, teaching science in the Access Program (a wholistic support program for students who face barriers in post-secondary). She is also an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor and senior editor at the scientific journal Ecology & Evolution. She lives in River Heights with her ornithologist spouse (Dr. Kevin Fraser), two kids, and a menagerie of pets.