We don’t know if hybridization is more common in some species of birds than others, so undergraduate Jessica Dobler is studying the factors that influence hybridization in birds. She is building a database of bird species and their life history and behavioral characteristics, using primarily information in the Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World by Eugene M. McCarthy. Initial results suggest that species that hybridize are migratory and have long-term bonds among mating pairs, but more work is needed.
She is mentored by Dr. Gavin Leighton and Dr. Russell Ligon.
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