Nest placement presumably reflects selection for secure sites to minimize failure. Most tests of this hypothesis, however, have failed to support it. We used artificial nests (ARTs) to experimentally evaluate...

Effective conservation of migratory bird populations depends on advancements in our understanding of processes throughout the life cycle. Fundamental information about wintering ecology (e.g., habitat use and...

Urbanization poses threats to earth’s biota, and retention of remnant native habitat in protected areas within expanding urban boundaries may help alleviate threats to wildlife. However, it is unclear for...

Extra-pair paternity (EPP) appears to be widespread in passerine birds, but few studies have focused on suboscine species, and therefore it is unclear if this generalization can be extended to this group. In...

Early pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, and remained small-to-medium sized from the Triassic Period to the end of the Jurassic Period. During that interval, lasting from 210...

Substantial offspring mortality can occur during the postfledging period of birds, but few postfledging survival studies have been conducted within the context of habitat suitability. We conducted a 2-year...

The extra-pair (EP) mating system of birds may be influenced by food resources, such that nutritionally stressed females are unable to pursue EP fertilizations (constrained female hypothesis; CFH), or that...

37 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Biology and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Science, Spring 2016.