{"id":90,"date":"2019-03-22T23:06:29","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T23:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hamiltoncs.org\/townsend\/?page_id=90"},"modified":"2026-10-04T17:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T17:36:52","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hamiltoncs.org\/townsend\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1. Disease and Behavioral Ecology of Crows<\/h3>\n\n\n
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American crows exhibit remarkable cognitive capacities. They are also highly social and variable in their behavioral strategies. Unfortunately, they are also susceptible to many endemic and emerging pathogens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My lab has combined research on the prevalence, environmental correlates, and pathogenicity of crow diseases [e.g.,  West Nile virus, Campylobacter jejuni<\/em>, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and haemosporidian parasites] with research on different aspects of crow behavior, including migration, movement, and mating strategies (e.g.,
Townsend et al. 2018 Ecol Evol; <\/em>Hinton et al. 2015 J Med Entomol; <\/em>Taff and Townsend 2017 J Avian Biol<\/em>; Weis et al. 2016 Appl Environ Microbiol;<\/em> Jamborova et al. 2017 Environ Microbiol<\/em> Townsend et al. 2019 Mol. Ecol<\/em>; Townsend et al. 2018 Orn. Adv<\/em>.; Townsend et al. 2018 Ecosphere<\/em>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, we are focused on how cognitive performance is affected by condition, inbreeding, and migratory tendency, as well as the genetic underpinnings of behavior and disease. In this work, we complement field studies of behavior with satellite telemetry, molecular tools, and aviary-based cognitive experiments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research was featured on a recent episode of the podcast OK, But… Birds! Check it out here<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Migration Patterns of American Crows<\/h3><\/center>\n\n\n\n