Behavioral Ecology
Behavioral variation and plasticity started to interest me during the first year of college. Thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, I had the opportunity to get involved in independent research and explore some of these topics myself. I hope to add to a better understanding of behavioral variation by studying the mechanisms that lead to behavioral plasticity during my doctoral studies.
Red-backed Fairywrens (past)
During the breeding season, male Red-backed Fairywrens (Malurus melanocephalus) can show ornamented (red-black) or unornamented (brown, resembling females and juveniles) plumage. We carried out behavioural observations during the nonbreeding season across three years to better understand how these two phenotypes are able to maintain comparable survival rates. To see what we found out, please wait to read the (hopefully) soon to be published paper or email me for the manuscript!
Collaborators: Michael S. Webster, Jordan Karubian, John P. Swaddle
Hummingbird Dominance (current)
Interspecific hummingbird interactions are very common and complex social situations. We studied the behavior of 12 interacting hummingbird species at nectar feeders to better understand (1) what variables correlate with dominance, and (2) how dominance rank affects the discovery of novel food sources. We have recently started this project so if you would like to collaborate with us, or know more, please feel free to reach out!