Communication and mate choice in birds

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Studies of sexual signalling behaviour in animals have contributed important information to understanding evolutionary processes such as speciation, which generates biodiversity. Increasingly conservationists are using knowledge about animals' reproductive behaviour to design management and recovery plan for species at risk or threatened with extinction. My research uses long-term studies of birds to test new theory about the nature of animal signalling interactions in natural environments, to examine how conditions on both the breeding grounds and wintering sites of songbirds may interact to influence behaviour and reproductive success. Populations of migratory birds are facing alarming declines around the world, and a new initiative in my program will explore the behavioural adaptations of migrants that help them survive the hazards of long-distance travel.