Urban ecology

It has been shown that bird diversity has changed in response to urbanization. However, most previous studies have been narrowly focused and limited to localized study sites. We studied the statewide impact of urbanization on Virginia birds using citizen science databases (primarily eBird & Christmas Bird Count). This approach allows us to perform a wider geographic scale and long-term analysis of bird population dynamics. This research has direct applications in urban planning, monitoring population status and conservation management of sensitive species.

READ MORE