In D.C. the president’s Big Beautiful Bill is facing a contentious fight in the Senate. Governor Ferguson recently signed over 400 bills into law. 

But there was other bill related news in recent weeks and we went to see someone who has been right in the middle of it. 

Alejandro Rico Guevara is one of the foremost researchers on hummingbird bills. He has spent years studying how hummingbirds use their beaks to feed and fight.

But his latest research looked at how human actions seem to be driving a high-speed example of evolution in hummingbird bills. 

Alejandro is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Washington, and he’s the co-author of a study published last month in Global Change Biology. It shows how hummingbird feeders have influenced the size and shape of hummingbird bills in a matter of decades.

Guest:

Alejandro Rico Guevara, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Washington

Relevant Links:

NPR: Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say

Global Change Biology: Supplemental Feeding as a Driver of Population Expansion and Morphological Change in Anna's Hummingbird

Smithsonian: California’s Hummingbirds Have Changed Their Beaks in Response to Backyard Feeders, Study Finds

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

In D.C. the president&rsquo;s Big Beautiful Bill is facing a contentious fight in the Senate. Governor Ferguson recently signed over 400 bills into law.&nbsp;
But there was other bill related news in recent weeks and we went to see someone who has been right in the middle of it.&nbsp;
Alejandro Rico Guevara is one of the foremost researchers on hummingbird bills. He has spent years studying how hummingbirds use their beaks to feed and fight.
But his latest research looked at how human actions seem to be driving a high-speed example of evolution in hummingbird bills.&nbsp;
Alejandro is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Washington, and he&rsquo;s the co-author of a study published last month in Global Change Biology. It shows how hummingbird feeders have influenced the size and shape of hummingbird bills in a matter of decades.
Guest:
Alejandro Rico Guevara, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Washington
Relevant Links:
NPR: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5409073/annas-hummingbird-backyard-feeders">Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say</a>
Global Change Biology:&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gcb.70237">Supplemental Feeding as a Driver of Population Expansion and Morphological Change in Anna's Hummingbird</a>
Smithsonian:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/californias-hummingbirds-have-changed-their-beaks-in-response-to-backyard-feeders-study-finds-180986693/">California&rsquo;s Hummingbirds Have Changed Their Beaks in Response to Backyard Feeders, Study Finds</a>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

Do you love watching hummingbirds buzz around your garden feeder?   You're not alone. So many people are feeding these little enchanting, surprisingly aggressive birds that it's physically changing their anatomy.

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