Stephanie Doucet

Allison Mistakidis uses a spectrophotometer to measure the plumage colour of a museum specimen of a warbler.Allison Mistakidis, a former Master’s student in the laboratory of biology professor Stéphanie Doucet, uses a spectrophotometer to measure the plumage colour of a museum specimen of a warbler.

Geographic overlap promotes different feather colours, but similar songs, in birds

Birds of a feather don’t flock together: a study finds avian species sharing space exhibit greater difference in colouration, but more similar songs.
UWindsor biological sciences PhD student Katrina Switzer is working with 3D-printed yellow toads in the forests of Costa Rica to see how females choose among similarly coloured males.UWindsor biological sciences PhD student Katrina Switzer is working with 3D-printed yellow toads in the forests of Costa Rica to see how females choose among similarly coloured males.

Researchers use 3D printed toads in the wild

When the rains eventually blanket northwest Costa Rica, ushering in the country’s wet season, a booming chorus of yellow toads will fill the tropical forest.

And the moment that rain starts to fall, UWindsor’s Katrina Switzer will race to a pond in Santa Rosa National Park where she’ll match 3D printed “Robotoads” with unsuspecting mates.

“The Neotropical Yellow Toads have a large breeding event that really only happens once a year during the first massive rainfall,” Switzer explained, adding the rain usually starts falling in the middle of the night.

Some of the University of Windsor scientists who presented their research findings at the North American Ornithological Congress last week in Washington, DC.Some of the University of Windsor scientists who presented their research findings at the North American Ornithological Congress last week in Washington, DC.

Flocking together: history’s largest ornithology conference boasts strong showing for UWindsor

The University of Windsor made a world-class showing of ornithological expertise last week during the North American Ornithological Congress.

Ornithology researchers win three top prizes at international conference

Placing three UWindsor graduate students among the top award recipients at the North American Ornithological Congress confirms the university as a centre of excellence for bird biology in North America, says professor Oliver Love.

Fourteen researchers represented the University of Windsor, including Dr. Love and students from his laboratory and the laboratories of Dan Mennill and Stephanie Doucet.

The Windsor delegation took three of the 12 awards for the best student talks and posters among the hundreds of student presenters: