David King

Research Description

I study wildlife ecology and conservation, particularly in relation to habitat management. Neotropical migrant songbirds are my specialty; however I also work with other taxa including mammals, snakes, native bees and non-passerines, as well as Paleotropical migrants. My research includes the study of forest bird responses to different silvicultural systems, forest roads and urban development, the abundance and nesting success of shrubland birds in relation to forest management, powerline transmission corridors, wildlife openings and pitch pine-scrub oak barrens, and the habitat selection and habitat-specific survival of birds during the post-fledging period. I conduct local and regional studies of the elevational distribution and ecology of obligate spruce-fir birds, including analyses of the effects of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors on their populations. I study habitat-specific abundance and survival of priority migrant birds during the non-breeding period in managed and natural habitats, as well as carryover effects using stable isotopes, and migratory stopover using nanotags. These findings are synthesized and integrated into regional assessments and optimization procedures to provide science-based recommendations for accommodating native biodiversity in the face of anthropogenic influences. My work takes place throughout eastern North American, as well as Central America, the Caribbean, Asia and Central Europe.