Invasive Bird Projects

The Texas Invasive Bird Project (TIBP) has been ongoing since 2008, resulting in many studies of invasive birds here in Houston.  These include six core focal species: Mute swan, Egyptian geese , Monk parakeet, Red-vented bulbul , Scaly-breasted munia  and Northern red bishop.  Other studies (mostly prior to TIBP) were done for Blue-crowned parakeet  and small seed-eating birds.

Aquatic Bird Projects

We have surveyed aquatic birds at McGovern Lake in Hermann Park since 2010.  This project has produced a number of studies on waterfowl, including invasive Egyptian Geese, aberrantly colored mutations, and comparing community ecology of wintering ducks  among several regional urban sites.  A study of both North American species of Night Herons foraging on a locally abundant prey item was done at a nearby site on Buffalo Bayou.

Other Avian Projects

Working at a museum with plenty of salvaged specimens entering the collection, its probably no surprise that we document remarkable, unusual ways that various birds meet their end (or came close!), from choking on acorns to trapped in a spider web  (incidentally, the latter article led to a bigger project that became well known).  Additionally we did a project on optimal foraging by Swainson’s hawks on a locally abundant prey item, and assessed avian diversity along a channelized gradient of Buffalo Bayou.