British ornithologist
Timothy Robert Birkhead (born 1950) is a British ornithologist. He has been Professor of Behaviour and Evolution at the University of Sheffield since 1976.
Education.
Birkhead was awarded a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Newcastle University in 1972, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree from University of Oxford in 1976 for research on the breeding biology and survival of guillemots "Uria aalge" supervised by E.K. Dunn and Chris Perrins. He was subsequently awarded a Doctor of Science from Newcastle in 1989.
Research and career.
Birkhead's research on promiscuity in birds redefined the mating systems of birds. Focusing initially on the adaptive significance of male promiscuity and female promiscuity, he later switched to the study of mechanisms and resolved the mechanisms of sperm competition in birds. He provided some of the first evidence of: cryptic female choice in birds; strategic sperm allocation, and he also provided the first estimates of the quantitative genetics of sperm traits in birds.
Birkhead's research also resolved the issue of polyspermy in birds and provided the first evidence for morphological sperm selection in the female reproductive tract. His long term study of the population biology of common guillemots on the island of Skomer off Wales has run since 1972, and is currently in need of support.
His recent research is on the adaptive significance of egg shape in birds, including the common guillemot whose pyriform egg has long been thought to allow it to either spin-like- a-top or roll-in-an-arc to prevent it rolling off the cliff ledge. However, there is no evidence for either of these ideas. Instead, Birkhead and colleagues have identified the main advantage of a pyriform shape: stability. The pyriform shape makes the egg inherently more stable, especially on the sloping surfaces on which guillemots commonly breed.
Publications.
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Teaching.
Birkhead has combined his enthusiasm for research with a passion for undergraduate teaching. He has taught courses on ecology, evolution, statistics, birds, behavioural ecology, animal behaviour and the history and philosophy of science. His teaching has been recognised by four awards, including a National Teaching Fellowship in 2017.
Biology of Spermatozoa.
Starting in 1992 and continuing until 2015 (when he handed over to a steering group) Birkhead organised (with Professor Harry Moore) a small (~60) biennial meeting on reproductive biology in the Peak District National Park known as Biology of Spermatozoa (BoS). Delegates are from a diverse range of backgrounds and include clinicians, reproductive physiologists, andrologists, theoreticians and evolutionary biologists. The format and interdisciplinary nature of the meeting was successful in terms of exchanging ideas, techniques and establishing collaborations.
Media and Outreach.
Between 2002 and 2010 Birkhead had a monthly column in "Times Higher Education". His articles were concerned with various aspects of higher education: undergraduate teaching, administration and, occasionally, research.
He has written for "The Guardian", "The Independent", the BBC, The Biologist, Natural History and Evolve.
He has featured on numerous BBC Radio 4 programmes, including "Start the Week" — with Jeremy Paxman; "The Life Scientific" with Jim Al-Khalili; "The Infinite Monkey Cage" in 2018. His book ‘"The Most Perfect Thing"’ provided the basis for the TV documentary ‘"Attenborough’s Eggs"’ introduced by David Attenborough (2018). Birkhead has been honorary curator of the Alfred Denny Museum in the University of Sheffield between 1980-2018.
He has given numerous public lectures, including at Café Scientique, the Cheltenham Science Festival and numerous literary festivals including Ways with Words (Sheffield) and Hay on Wye. His TED (conference) lecture on the history of ornithology has been viewed over 100,000 times.
Awards and honours.
Over the course of his career, Birkhead has received a number of awards:
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References.
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