Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Biology

Behavioral ecology represents the nexus of animal behavior, ecology, and evolutionary biology. The primary goal of behavioral ecology is to investigate the ultimate causes of behavior in terms of the selective pressures that shape its evolution. My students and I conduct field research on a variety of species (mostly birds) and a variety of fronts within behavioral ecology. This research is performed on college, public, and private lands in the vicinity of Davidson. Although spring and summer are the most active field seasons in my lab, there are research opportunities available year-round. Current research projects include:

• Nest site competition among cavity nesting birds
• Nest site competition between wasps and cavity nesting birds
• Nest site selection and nest site fidelity in eastern bluebirds
• Bluebirds as bio-indicators on golf courses
• Nest spacing in barn swallows
• Hatching asynchrony in purple martins
• Roost site selection and space use in screech owls

You can find out more about these ongoing projects by visiting the research page of Dr. Stanback.