Gary
Ritchison
Department
of Biological Sciences
Eastern
Kentucky University
My Background | Teaching Interests | Research Interests | Graduate Students | Favorite Links
Welcome to the home page of EKU's resident ornithologist!
My 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 Mankato 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 Mankato 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 (a native of Richmond and a terrific gardener, cook, wife, and mother) and we have two great (most of the time) kids: Brandon Tyler (who is 17 and loves reading, playing video games, music, magic cards (whatever those are), and theatre) and Brianna Carol (who is 9 and loves going to school, all animals, drawing & painting, playing with her pets [two dogs named Raina & Annie], & reading).
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, Yellow-breasted
Chats, and Northern
Cardinals). 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 (especially the behavior and
ecology of Eastern
Screech-Owls) and, recently, the impact of West Nile Virus on Eastern
Bluebirds and Grasshopper Sparrows. 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:
Jen Adler - Provisioning behavior of male and female Grasshopper Sparrows
Nicole Beaver - The post-fledging behavior of Loggerhead Shrikes
Matt Beckett - Singing behavior of male Indigo Buntings
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
Michelle Carder - The function(s) of tail-wagging by Eastern Phoebes: an experimental approach
Brian Davidson - Henslow's Sparrows and Grasshopper Sparrows in Kentucky: effects of habitat-area and vegetation structure on abundance and reproductive success
Ward Henline - The vocal behavior of White-faced Sakis
R. Ian Horn - Individual quality and the provisioning behavior of male and female Eastern Phoebes
Danny Hwang - Vocal behavior of female Eastern Bluebirds, with emphasis on singing behavior
John Karnegis - Possible effects of habitat area and vegetation structure on the condition and reproductive success of Henslow's Sparrows
Barbara
Kieffer - Effect of nestling sex ratio on the provisioning behavior
of adult Eastern Bluebirds
Christine Lattin - Intra- and intersexual functions of singing by male Blue Grosbeaks: the role of within-song variation
Kimberly Little - The mating strategies of Chimney Swifts: where do helpers fit in?
Sarah Martin - The possible effects of breeding density on the mating strategies of Eastern Bluebirds
Jennifer Morse - Vocal behavior of male and female American Kestrels
Doug Mott - Swainson’s Warblers in the Red River Gorge: distribution, abundance, habitat use, and reproductive success (tentative)
Erin O'Brien - Winter habitat use and hunting behavior of Loggerhead Shrikes
Nicole Ranalli - Shorebird Migration in western Kentucky: Phenology, Habitat Use, and Possible Effects of Prey Availability
Kayde
Thompson - Effects of West Nile Virus on the behavior and reproductive
success of Eastern Bluebirds
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or Gary.Ritchison@eku.edu |