Katherine (Kit) M. Straley

OEB Ph.D. Candidate, Katherine Straley

PhD Candidate

B.A., Ithaca College, 2011

Advisor: Paige S. Warren

Research Interests

What's in this nest? 1 egg and 3 chicks! Wood Thrush chick fledging on nest camera footage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am interested in how animals adjust behaviorally to rapid changes in habitats, hypothesizing that individual behavior can be a driver in species persistence in urbanizing landscapes. I currently focus on the behavioral flexibility of nesting Wood Thrushes and Gray Catbirds as they cope with forest fragmentation and changes in resource availability in suburban western Massachusetts. My dissertation research utilizes field techniques from both ornithology and entomology; and lab­-based chemical analyses of consumer and resource tissues. I enjoy collaborating with undergraduates as they develop new skills, either in the field or the lab.

 

Tasty tray of insects and arthropods - yum!