Author Archives: Kevin

We published a paper in this month’s Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution on the relationships of some finch-billed tanagers in the genera Nesospiza and Rowettia. These four tanagers are unusual in that they are the only tanagers found outside of the … Continue reading →

The Burns lab recently traveled to Chicago to attend the annual meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Kevin presented a talk co-authored with former students Allison Shultz, Pascal Title, and Nick Mason summarizing their work … Continue reading →

Lots of Burns lab members past and present will be represented at the upcoming joint meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union and Cooper Ornithological Society in Chicago. Here is a full list of presentations authored or co-authored by past or … Continue reading →

Burns lab undergraduate student Cate Threlkeld just published an account of the Magpie Tanager for Neotropical Birds Online, produced by Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. Below is an image of the first page of the account, click it to read … Continue reading →

Burns lab graduate student Shannon Walsh recently received a Frank M. Chapman Award from the American Museum of Natural History to help fund her project investigating the conservation genetics of the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo  maculatus) on California’s Channel Islands. Two … Continue reading →

Barker, F. K., K. J. Burns, J. Klicka, S. M. Lanyon, and I. J. Lovette. 2013. Going to extremes: Contrasting rates of diversification in a recent radiation of New World passerine birds. Systematic Biology 62: 298-320. link to article On … Continue reading →

Shultz, A. J. and K. J. Burns. 2013. Plumage evolution in relation to light environment in a novel clade of Neotropical tanagers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66: 112-125. We recently published a paper in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution on plumage … Continue reading →

Mallarino, R., O. Campàs, J. A. Fritz, K. J. Burns, O. G. Weeks, M. P. Brenner, and A. Abzhanov. 2012. Closely related bird species demonstrate flexibility between beak morphology and underlying developmental programs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences … Continue reading →

The Burns lab welcomes new MS student Shannon Walsh this semester. She received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Minnesota. Shannon spent two field seasons working with Burrowing Owls for the USFWS in Oregon and Washington. At the … Continue reading →

Luke spent part of spring/summer mist netting birds and also sampling Bell’s Vireos for his project on conservation genetics of Least Bell’s Vireo. This year, his efforts concentrated on the Arizona/California border which is a putative contact zone between Least … Continue reading →