Some of the work in our lab revolves around functional morphology of birds, meaning we look at how structure relates to function in the bird’s environment. This work ranges from determining how feather microstructure impacts wettability to documenting the diversity of avian tongue structures.

Some of the work we do in our lab revolves around conservation, mainly of seabirds on Great Gull Island in Long Island Sound. Great Gull Island is a research station owned by the American Museum of Natural History. Over 2,000 endangered roseate tern and 10,000 common tern pairs nest on the island every summer, making it a critical habitat for both species. Members of our lab are involved in studying various aspects of these birds, including their survival, productivity, provisioning, nesting habitat, genetics, and hybridization, to further management efforts aimed at protecting these species.