Corvids are everywhere. They are found on almost every continent and many species thrive in human-dominated environments. They have influenced art and literature throughout history, and whether they inspire love or hate, they have certainly impacted the hearts and minds of the humans who share their space.

But being common isn’t enough to get that level of connection. So what makes corvids play such an important role in culture and storytelling traditions? And what is the impact of this relationship on the birds themselves?

At 7:30 p.m., Thursday, November 14, the Whidbey Audubon Society presents a pre-recorded program by Kaeli Swift, PhD. The program is free and the public is invited to attend online and at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 20103 Highway 525, two miles north of Freeland. To participate online, register at whidbeyaudubonsociety.org. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and the program begins at 7:30 p.m.

Swift will explore the unique characteristics of corvids that make them so attractive to observe and study, how they have influenced our cultures across time and space, and how human attention to these birds has shaped their own ecology and culture.

Swift received her doctorate in avian behavioral ecology from the University of Washington. There, she studied American crows, with a particular emphasis on death behavior. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, where her work has taken her to the remote Pacific island of Tinian. For the past three years, she has lived and worked on Tinian to study a small songbird endemic to that island, the Tinian Monarch.