New research starting on Northern Cardinal September 2023
New graduate student position at McGill University for fall 2023
Proposed research
Urban greenspaces and forests have the potential to serve an important role in supporting biodiversity in the landscape, particularly to vagile species such as birds. These are novel ecosystems composed of a complex mix of native and non-native species, with tree planting often driven by factors such as aesthetic and cultural preferences, nursery availability, and ability to withstand urban stressors, rather than biodiversity conservation. Most research on birds within urban ecosystems have focused on the breeding season, creating a seasonal bias. An emerging and exciting topic within urban ornithology is identifying how birds use or move through urban areas during the migratory or non-breeding periods. Very little is known of fine-scale bird movement in urban areas during the non-breeding season, especially within the context of synergies and tradeoffs between urban greenspaces for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services (e.g., human recreation, carbon storage, etc.). Northern Cardinals are a charismatic, urban-tolerant, year-round resident songbird of North America and serve as an ideal study species to explore winter movements by birds within an urban landscape.
Looking for a candidate
We are looking for an MSc or PhD student to join the dynamic group of researchers from Department of Natural Resource Sciences of McGill University and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The student will lead a study to quantify Northern Cardinal winter movements and survival across urban greenspaces and neighborhoods of Montreal, Quebec. They will also explore ecosystem services provided by urban greenspaces and natural elements, and evaluate these in the context of the multiple-goals of urban Nature-based Solutions for climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. The results of this work have the potential to inform municipal and federal programs for urban greening and urban biodiversity conservation. The student will have the opportunity to learn to co-develop scientific research, conduct urban fieldwork, and improve conservation policy and practice. The potential start date is September 2023 and the student will be co-supervised by Dr. Kyle Elliott (McGill University) and Dr. Barbara Frei (Environment Climate Change Canada).