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I have been teaching in the Environmental Studies Program at Prescott College since 1988. My courses offer a strong foundation in the biological sciences and combine theory with an experiential emphasis. This is especially the case in my field courses in Mexico and in Costa Rica, but my in-town courses also include numerous field trips and, in some instances, hands-on laboratory exercises. In all my teaching, I strive to weave together an understanding of ecological principles with evolutionary theory so that students can cultivate an appreciation for the origin and maintenance of biological diversity.
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My research focuses on questions concerning the diversity of avian plumage patterns. Why do similar plumage patterns repeatedly evolve in distantly related lineages while strikingly different plumage configurations may be exhibited in closely related taxa? Why do some species have streaks while others have bars? Is there a relationship between plumage pattern and morphology? Accordingly, I have identified an empirically derived plumage pattern trajectory that covaries with body size and morphology across the Class Aves (see figure). Furthermore, the trajectory is recursive at various taxonomic levels, such as within genera and within families, and thus serves as an indicator of parallel evolution. The recursive nature of the trajectory, in which morphological and chromatic elements recur in modified configurations, has perhaps contributed to an underestimate of parallel evolution in birds.
 I am also developing field research programs on wading birds in both Prescott and in the Gulf of California, Mexico, where Prescott College has its field station: The Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies. There is a growing colony of Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) and Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) at Willow Lake in Prescott, which offers an excellent opportunity for students to undertake behavioral and ecological studies. Estero La Cruz, which is an extensive mangrove estuary in Kino Bay, is home to both resident and migratory shorebirds and wading birds, including the threatened Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens). Although we have been undertaking general surveys of avian presence and abundance over the years (see Fleischner and Riegner 1993, under “Publications”), there is ample opportunity for more in-depth ecological and behavioral studies. In January 2009, I will be involving my Coastal Ecology students in surveys of Reddish Egrets as well as in studies of wading bird community dynamics.
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolution, SUNY Stony Brook, 1983
B.S., Biology, SUNY College at Brockport, 1975
Animal Biology
Behavior and Conservation of Mammals
Coastal Ecology of the Gulf of California (field)
Form and Pattern in Nature
Introduction to Ornithology
Organic Evolution
Tropical Biology: The Natural History of Costa Rica (field)
American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU); Chair of Committee on Undergraduate Faculty and Student Involvement in the AOU
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Heron Specialist Group
Publications
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