Gary
Ritchison
Department
of Biological Sciences
Eastern
Kentucky University
My Background | Teaching Interests | Research Interests | Graduate Students | Favorite Links
Background I grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota (Elysian) and graduated from Waterville-Elysian High School. I received my Bachelor's degree (with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry) from Minnesota State University (in Mankato, MN) and, during my undergraduate years, developed an interest in birds. I also received my Master's degree in biology from Minnesota State and my thesis focused on the vocal behavior of White-breasted Nuthatches. I went west (to Utah State University in Logan, UT) for my Ph.D. My dissertation topic was the singing behavior of Black-headed Grosbeaks (with an emphasis on the singing behavior of females). After completing my Ph.D., I obtained a faculty position at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY, and, of course, am still at EKU. I'm married to Tameria Dawn and we have two great kids: Brandon Tyler and Brianna Carol.
Research
Interests One
of my long-term interests has been avian mating strategies, specifically
examining
factors
that influence mate choice (and choice of extra-pair partners) by female
songbirds (specifically female Indigo
Buntings, Eastern
Bluebirds). I'm also very interested in avian
vocal behavior (particularly the functions of song), the ecology and
behavior of grassland birds (like Henslow's
and Grasshopper
sparrows), raptor behavior and ecology (such as Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks) and, recently, factors influencing the provisioning behavior of male and female Eastern Phoebes. These are some of my personal research
interests, but I enjoy working with students on just about any aspect of
avian biology. To get an idea of what I and my students have been &
are working on, take a look at the titles of some recent
publications, theses
completed by previous advisees, & the titles of projects currently
underway (listed below).
Current Graduate Students and their Research Topics:
Jackie Bennett - Individual quality and the provisioning behavior of male and female Barn Swallows
Michael Bennett - Effect of clutch size and individual quality on the characteristics of Chimney Swift nests
Brad McLeod - Effect of food supplementation on the time budgets and reproductive success of Indigo Buntings
Louise Peppe - Vocal behavior of Chimney Swifts
Tyler Rankin - Habitat and nest-site selection by Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks
Alyssa Underwood - Effect of nestling quality on the provisioning behavior of male and female Eastern Phoebes
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or Gary.Ritchison@eku.edu |