Who we study:
Mountain chickadee
听are most easily distinguished by their discrete white eyebrow. These industrious birds are easily spotted听flitting through Ponderosas on Flagstaff Mountain (or anywhere mixed conifer stands predominate),听on the hunt for seeds and insects. From the western fringes of the City of Boulder to tree line, mountain chickadees deliver a near-constant chorus of听'肠丑颈肠办-补-诲别别'蝉听that is overall raspier than their black-capped cousins.听
Black-capped chickadee
听abound in Boulder.听Their all-black cap is the clearest difference between them and the closely-related mountain chickadee.听Their inquisitive nature and boldness make them an endearing bird to all naturalists. Their simple whistle song is a morning staple in nearly every corner of Boulder, but especially along creeks.听
2023 season, our biggest yet!
416
nest boxes!
83
nests!
488
eggs!
If you are interested supporting our research听by making a听tax-deductible听donation听through the University of Colorado Foundation.听
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Links for Study Participants:
Interested in becoming a study participant?
Email us!听Boulderchickadeestudy@gmail.com
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What we study:
Black-capped and mountain chickadees are closely-related species that co-occur in Boulder County but occupy different habitats based on elevation. The Boulder Chickadee Study leverages an extensive network of nest boxes from Boulder up to the Mountain Research Station to examine听how cities are changing听interactions between these two species from both genomic and field-based perspectives. We pair field studies with cutting-edge genomic tools to understand interactions between these inquisitive & industrious birds.
We are broadly interested in understanding how human-modified spaces are impacting the interactions between these two species.听We currently have the following on-going projects:
- Assessing the degree of hybridization between the two species
- Quantifying nest parasites along mountain slopes
- Characterizing the feather patterning of the two species.
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Publications
Theodosopoulos AN,听Grabenstein KC, Larrieu M, Arnold V, Taylor SA.听Accepted. Similar parasite communities but dissimilar infection patterns in two closely related chickadee species.听Ornithology.
Grabenstein KC, Burg T, Otter K, Taylor SA.听Hybridization between closely related songbirds is related to human habitat disturbance.听Global Change Biology. 29:955-968.听
Grabenstein KC, Burg T, Otter K, Taylor SA. Sympatry leads to reduced body condition in chickadees that occasionally hybridize.听Ecology and Evolution. Accepted.听
Grabenstein KC, Taylor SA. 2018. Breaking Barriers: Causes, Consequences, and Experimental Utility of Human-Mediated Hybridization. Trends in Ecology and Evolution,听33(3), 198鈥�212.
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In the Press
"Boulder Chickadee Study explores hybrid trends" by Jeff Mitton
with Kathryn and Scott!
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