This research addresses the taxonomic relationships among birds that cache food for future recovery using extraordinary brain capacities for spatial memory. The seed-caching abilities of the titmice (Paridae), nuthatches (Sittidae), and crows/jays (Corvidae) appear to be independent evolutionary acquisitions. Drs. Gill and Sheldon will test the validity of the currently controversial classification of passerine birds by a series of comparisons of the genetic material DNA. In particular, the proposed biochemical analyses will address the historical basis of profound memory capacities of the avian brain and associated changes in feeding and social behavior.
