Chris Elphick,
Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno)
Contact Information:
Dr. Chris S. Elphick
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Connecticut
75 N. Eagleville Road, U-43
Storrs, CT 06269-3043
Tel: (860) 486-4547
Fax: (860) 486-6364
E-Mail: chris.elphick@uconn.edu
Current Areas of Research:
Avian conservation biology and ecology. In particular, conservation in wetlands and agricultural
settings, large-scale conservation planning, and the behavior of dispersal.
We are working on a new web site for our research group.
The new site is not yet complete, but you can see the parts that are done (and which contain
information that is much more up-to-date than this one) by
clicking here. If you find errors or broken
links, please let me know.
Research Projects:
Books:
Floyd, T., C.S. Elphick, K. Mack, R. Elston, G. Chisholm. 2004. Nevada
Breeding Bird Atlas. University of Nevada Press. Accepted for publication; in revision.
Elphick, C.S., J.B. Dunning, and D.S. Sibley (eds.). 2001.
National Audubon Society.
Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. 608 pp. (co-author on 5 chapters)
Selected Publications:
Elphick, C.S. 2004. Assessing conservation trade-offs: Identifying the effects of
flooding rice fields for waterbirds on non-target bird species. Biological Conservation 117: 105-110.
Elphick, C.S., and L.W. Oring. 2003. Effects of rice field management on winter
waterbird communities: conservation and agronomic implications. Agriculture, Ecosystems
and Environment 94:17-29.
Elphick, C.S. and J. Klima. 2002. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica).
The Birds of North America No. 629 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc.,
Philadelphia, PA.
Elphick, C.S., J.M. Reed, and J.M. Bonta. 2001. Correlates of endangered species
recovery goals. Conservation Biology 15:1285-1291.
Warnock, N., C.S. Elphick, and M.A. Rubega. 2001. Biology of marine birds: shorebirds.
Pages 581-615 in Biology of Marine Birds (J. Burger and B.A. Schreiber, eds.). CRC Press.
Elphick, C.S. 2000. Functional equivalency between rice fields and seminatural
wetland habitats. Conservation Biology 14:181-191.
Elphick, C.S. and L.W. Oring. 1998. Winter management of California rice fields
for waterbirds. Journal of Applied Ecology 35:95-108.
Elphick, C.S. and T.L. Tibbitts. 1998. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca).
The Birds of North America No. 355 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North
America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Reed, J.M., C.S. Elphick, and L.W. Oring. 1998. Life-history and viability analysis of
the endangered Hawaiian stilt. Biological Conservation 84:35-45.
Student collaborators:
Martha Ellis (mute swan population dynamics)
Selena Humphreys (saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow nest building behavior)
Erin King (saltmarsh sparrow breeding biology)
Kira Sullivan-Wiley (saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow nest provisioning behavior)
Research opportunities: If you are interested in getting research experience in our
lab group click here.
Courses Taught:
Introduction to Conservation Biology,
Ornithology, Field Ecology, General Ecology,
Current Topics in Conservation Biology.