Research Overview

This page summarizes the various projects members of our research group are currently involved in, or have completed in the past few years.  Many of these projects are interconnected, but we've tried to distinguish distinct subsections of each project to provide detail on the diversity of work that we do.  For each project we've also identified the primary person directing the actual work.

BIRDS AND AGRICULTURE PROJECTS

Bird use of California rice fields. More info here. Funded by the Institute for Waterfowl and Wetlands Research, Duck's Unlimited, and The Nature Conservancy. (Chris Elphick)

Waterbird use of row crop agriculture in North America. Funded by the National Audubon Society. Reports emanating from this work are available here. (Oriane Taft and Chris Elphick)

Global review of the use and conservation value of rice fields by birds. Symposium abstracts here.  (Chris Elphick, with help from many others)

Rice and waterbirds working group. More info here. (Chris Elphick)

ENDANGERED AND DECLINING SPECIES PROJECTS

Time series analysis of endangered Hawaiian waterbirds. (Chris Elphick in collaboration with Michael Reed at Tufts University)

Extinction patterns in North American and Hawaiian birds. (Chris Elphick in collaboration with Michael Reed at Tufts University and Dave Roberts at Kew Gardens)

Modelling the effects of wind farm development on the population dynamics of Caribbean brown pelicans. Funded by WindMar. (Chris Elphick and Martha Ellis)

Testing the effects of human nocturnal lighting on endangered beach-nesting birds. Funded by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Long Island Sound Program). (Chris Elphick, Carina Gjerdrum, and Margaret Rubega)

Ecology and conservation of chimney swifts. (Margaret Rubega)

FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY PROJECTS

Functional morphology, anatomy, and development of feeding mechanics in shorebirds. (Margaret Rubega)

Functional morphology and feeding mechanics of insectivory in hummingbirds. (Gregor Yanega)

Feeding mechanics of insectivory in bee-eaters. Funded by UConn's Summer Undergraduate Research Fund.  (Kira Sullivan-Wiley and Margaret Rubega in collaboration with staff at the Bronx Zoo)

Functional morphology and anatomy of feeding structures in raptors and shrikes. (Diego Sustaita)

INVASIVE SPECIES PROJECTS

Invasive plant seed dispersal by introduced European starlings. Funded by the US Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation.  (Nancy LaFleur and Margaret Rubega)

Modelling population dynamics and control of introduced mute swans. Funded by UConn's Summer Undergraduate Research Fund.  (Martha Ellis and Chris Elphick)

Modelling the effects of mute swan grazing on submerged aquatic vegetation in Long Island Sound. Funded by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Long Island Sound Program).  (Chris Elphick, with related field work conducted by Min Huang of the Connecticut DEP)

SALTMARSH BIRD PROJECTS

Habitat use by saltmarsh nesting birds. More info here. Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Connecticut Sea Grant, and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Long Island Sound Program and Wildlife Division).  (Chris Elphick and Carina Gjerdrum)

Behavioural ecology of breeding saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows. Funded in part via UConn's Summer Undergraduate Research Fund.  (Chris Elphick and Carina Gjerdrum, with help from various undergraduate collaborators)

Testing the mechanisms of area-sensitivity in saltmarsh breeding birds. Funded by Connecticut Sea Grant.  (Chris Elphick)

Movement behavior of breeding saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows. Funded by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Long Island Sound Program), the Eastern Bird Banding Association, and the Association of Field Ornithologists. (Jason Hill)

Role of social cues in determining habitat selection in saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows. Funded by the Cooper Ornithological Society.  (Trina Bayard)

Vocal behavior of saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows. Funded by UConn's Summer Undergraduate Research Fund.  (Chris Field)

Patterns of paternity in saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows.  (Chris Elphick in collaboration with Chris Hill of Coastal Carolina University)

Effects of saltmarsh restoration on saltmarsh birds. Funded by Connecticut Sea Grant.  (Chris Elphick)

Effects of sea-level rise on saltmarsh saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows.  (Chris Elphick)