Principal Investigator: Dr. Corey Tarwater
Avian Ecology & Behavior Lab
Dr. Corey E. Tarwater (Principal Investigator)
Robert B. Berry Distinguished Chair in Ecology, Associate Professor, Univ. Wyoming
Dr. Tarwater has been working in tropical forests for over 20 years now. Her research combines in-depth knowledge of animal behavior combined with creative and advanced statistical modeling to understand how populations and communities respond to large and fine-scale environmental change. Dr. Tarwater holds a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a M.S. from the same university in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. She earned her B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology from U.C. Davis. She is a native of Encinitas, CA and has two kids that she enjoys outdoor activities with and that come with her on her field adventures.
Mary De Aquino (Ph.D. student)
Mary is interested in the behavioral interactions and niche breadth of birds that follow army ant swarms. Mary is also interested in science communication and enjoys sharing her love of science and the natural world with others. She received her B.S. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and since then she’s been fortunate to work in diverse and beautiful landscapes from the plains of Montana to the cloud forests of Ecuador. In addition to most things bird-related, Mary enjoys backpacking, sports, art, and befriending dogs.
Kim Jordan (M.S. student)
Kim’s current research interests lie in quantitative population ecology and the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystem function. She hopes to address important questions related to the conservation of tropical birds, while exploring topics related to demography, physiological variation, and species interactions. For Kim’s M.S. research, she will be analyzing data collected on individually-marked birds in central Panama since the 1970’s.
Reina Galvan (M.S. student)
starting August 2023
Kelly Roberts (M.S. student)
starting August 2023
Elizabeth Howard (undergraduate student)
Liz is a WRSP (Wyoming Research Scholars Program) student and joined the lab in her 2nd year at the University of Wyoming. Liz is studying how prey availability impacts avian space use at army ant swarms and how avian dominance impacts space use. Liz will get to go to Panama for about 5 months across a few years to address this question.
Summer Holeman (undergraduate student)
Summer is a WRSP student that joined the lab during her first year at University of Wyoming. Her interest in avian ecology mostly stemmed from her desire to do field work. Summer is excited to look more into behavioral research, possibly including competition between birds at army ant swarms. Summer will get to spend 5+ months in Panama conducting research on army ant swarms.
Briana Agenbroad (undergraduate student)
Bri enjoyed a career in the outdoor industry where she was able to share her love of wildlife and science with people from all walks of life. She was inspired by the research she was reading to inform her tours and decided to pursue a degree in order to participate in scientific research myself. She is interested in the impact of human activities on community structure & function. Bri will be studying red-capped manakins as part of her research project.
Juan Felipe Castor Ospina (Crew leader, Panama)
Juan Felipe is a field biologist from Cali, Colombia with a special love for birds and the mountains. His research interests are in the molts of tropical birds, bird banding, and how to integrate these tools with management to help conserve birds.