Raptor Biology Alumni Research

Each Master of Science in Raptor Biology graduate’s listing in the Alumni by Name with Theses Titles section includes their graduation year and a link to their thesis in Boise State University’s ScholarWorks once available. Some graduates also have links to other scholarly works, professional websites, or media featuring them.

Raptor biologists monitoring Prairie Falcon territory by the Snake River (photo credit: Steve Alsup)

Search MS Raptor Biology graduates below by raptor species, habitat type, environmental influences, fields of study (e.g., genetics, phenology, ecology), and more!

Alumni by Name with Theses Titles

A-D

Bontrager, David, 2024

Distribution of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) Near Breeding Grounds of the Reintroduced Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis) at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Coastal South Texas (not yet published)

Booms, Travis L., 2002

Gyrfalcon Food Habits in Central West Greenland During the Nestling Period

Boves, Than J., 2007

The Effects of Roadway Mortality on Barn Owls in Southern Idaho and a Study of Ornamentation in North American Barn Owls

Brady, Ryan S., 2004

Nest Lining Behavior, Nest Microclimate, and Nest Defense Behavior of Burrowing Owls

Brinkmeyer, Michaela S., 2018

Patterns of Genetic Structure in the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius): Influence of Distance and Migration and Implications for Monitoring and Management

Busby, Brian, 2022

The Effects of Roads on Movement, Flight Dynamics, Occupancy, and Productivity in Barn Owls (Tyto alba)

Butler, Michael W., 2006

Neonatal Stress and Avian Development: Effects on Growth, Immune Function, and Plumage

Callery, Kathleen "Katie," 2020

Phenological Mismatch is Correlated with Fitness Outcomes and Adaptive Behavior in a Generalist Avian Predator Distributed Across North America

Carpenter, George P., 1995

Studies of Breeding American Kestrels in Southwestern Idaho: I. Offspring Sex Ratios of American Kestrels in Southwestern Idaho; II. Effects of Disturbance and Food Availability on American Kestrel Reproduction in Southwestern Idaho; III. Use of Mist Nets and a Live Great Horned Owl to Capture Breeding American Kestrels

Carter, Jo Ellen, 1992

Home Range, Habitat Utilization, and Prey Delivery Patterns of the Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus)

Cinto Mejia, Elizeth, 2017

Landscape-Scale Manipulation of the Acoustic Environment Alters the Distribution of Breeding Birds and Arthropods

Danilson, Christopher D., 1998

Post-Fledging Ecology of Great Horned Owls in South Central Saskatchewan

Davis, Caitlin, 2019

Recreation, Fire and Disease Create a Mosaic of Threats for Golden Eagles in Southwestern Idaho

See Davis’s Photos on Flickr

DeHart, Karl M., 2003

Great Horned Owl Distribution and Habitat Use Relative to Post-Release Survival of Endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chickens

Dickson, Ariana, 2020

Prevalence of Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Ferruginous Hawk Nestlings and Evaluation of a Novel Method to Rapidly Assess Exposure

Donohue, Kara C., 2009

Exploring Red-tailed Hawk Migration Using Stable Isotope Analysis and DNA Sexing Techniques

Draheim, Greg S., 1995

Breeding Biology and Habitat Requirements of the White Hawk (Leucopternis albicollis) in Guatemala

Dudek, Ben, 2017

Breeding Biology and Habitat Requirements of the White Hawk (Leucopternis albicollis) in Guatemala

Visit Dudek’s Professional Website

Dumandan, Patricia K. (Pat), 2020

Patterns and Drivers in Counts of Migratory Raptors at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, USA

E-J

Ellsworth, Ethan A., 1997

Postfledging Behavior and Dispersal of Juvenile Western Screech-Owls: Patterns of Movement and the Effects of Gender and Social Dominance

Fairhurst, Graham D., 2004

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Population Analysis and Food Habits Study in the Independence and Bull Run Mountains, Nevada

Visit Research Gate for More Fairhurst Information and Publications

Finn, Sean P., 2001

Multi-Scale Habitat Influences on Northern Goshawk Occupancy and Reproduction on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula

Foss, John, 1994

Occurrence and Habitat Associations of Diurnal Raptors Along the Bio-Bio River, Chile

Fuller, Kirsten, 2022

The Influence of Visitors, Habitat, and Methodology on Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) Occupancy and Detection in a Remote Canyon Environment

Garwood, Robin R. (Spahr), 1990

Factors Affecting the Distribution of Bald Eagles and Effects of Human Activity on Bald Eagles Wintering Along the Boise River

Gerhardt, Richard P., 1991

Mottled Owls (Ciccaba virgata): Response to Calls, Breeding Biology, Home Range, and Food Habits

Gilson, Lauren N., 1996

Behavioral Flexibility in Juvenile Ospreys

Gossett, Daniel N., 1993

Studies of Ferruginous Hawk Biology: I. Recoveries of Banded Ferruginous Hawks from Presumed Eastern and Western Subpopulations, II. Morphological and Genetic Differences of Presumed Subpopulations of Ferruginous Hawks, III. Sex Determination of Nestling Ferruginous Hawks

Graham, Scott, 2012

Diet Composition, Niche and Geographic Characteristics, and Prey Size Preference of Barred Owls (Strix varia) in the Pacific Northwest

Groves, Jamie L. (Wade), 2014

Behavioral Responses of Burrowing Owls to Experimental Clutch Manipulations: An Investigation of Conspecific Brood Parasitism and Laying Determinacy

Haines, Karen F., 1995

Northern Goshawk Breeding Habitat in Conifer Stands with Natural Tree Mortality in Eastern Oregon

Hallingstad, Eric C., 2008

Seasonal Variation in Immunocompetence and Other Physiological Parameters of the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Hanauska-Brown, Lauri A., 2000

Evaluation of Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Productivity, Nestling Growth, and Adult Health in Relation to a Central Idaho Habitat Potential Model

Hasselblad, Kristin W., 2004

Northern Goshawk Home Ranges and Habitat Selection in the Great Basin of Southern Idaho

Hayes, Christine, 2019

Old Enemies with New Problems?: Investigating the Ecological Relationship Between Ridgway’s Hawk and the Parasitic Nest Fly Philornis pici

Heath, Julie A., 1996

Effects of Body Condition on the Adrenal Stress Response, and the Role of Corticosterone in American Kestrel Nest Departure and Post-Fledging Dispersal

See More Publications, Datasets, and Student-mentored Work in Heath’s BePress

Visit the Heath Lab (Global Change Ecology of Birds) Website

Henderson, Michael, 2019

Effects of Protective Nesting Site Properties on Gyrfalcon Breeding Success and Parental Investment in Western Alaska

Visit Henderson’s Researcher Profile

Herting, Brian L., 2001

Seasonal Effects of Testosterone on Aggression and Vocalizations in Western Screech-owls

This thesis was not published in ScholarWorks. Contact Boise State University’s Albertsons Library for a copy of this thesis.

Honkomp, Nora, 2024

Biological and Environmental Factors Associated with the Autumn Migration Timing of North American Raptors (not yet published)

K-O

Kaltenecker, Gregory S., 1995

Winter Ecology of Bald Eagles in the Upper Boise River Drainage, Idaho

Visit the Intermountain Bird Observatory (Kaltenecker is Director)

Keeley, William H., 2009

Diet and Behavior of Ferruginous Hawks Nesting in Two Grasslands in New Mexico with Differing Anthropogenic Alteration

Kim, Hanna M. (McCaslin), 2019

Dispersal and Distributions in the Era of Global Change: Patterns and Mechanisms of Individual Dispersal and Distributional Shifts in North American Birds

Kimball, Scott A., 2009

Behavioral Interactions of Breeding Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus luecocephalus) at Lake Cascade, Idaho

King, R. Andrew (Andy), 1996

Post-Fledging Dispersal and Behavioral Ecology of Burrowing Owls in Southwestern Idaho

Kolar, Patrick Shea, 2013

Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Breeding Buteo Hawks in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion

Leal (Tadehara), Yozora, 2018

Home Range Characteristics of Breeding Saker Falcons (Falco cherrug) at Artificial Nest Sites in Central Mongolia

Leary, Alan W. (Al), 1996

Home Ranges, Core Use Areas, and Dietary Habits of Ferruginous Hawks in Southcentral Washington

Leary, Kathryn "Kate" D. (Whitmore), 1996

Developing Hand-Rearing Techniques for the Conservation of Altricial Passerines

Lehman, Robert N., 1996

Effects of Military Training and Wildfires on Shrubsteppe Raptors in Southwestern Idaho

Leppert, Lynda L., 2002

Heterophil to Lymphocyte Ratios and DNA Sexing in Fall Migrating Northern Saw-Whet Owls and Flammulated Owls in Idaho

Levine, Edward W., 1995

Productivity of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in the Greater Yellowstone Area, 1988-1990

Lewis, Stephen B., 2001

Breeding Season Diet of Northern Goshawks in Southeast Alaska with a Comparison of Techniques Used to Examine Raptor Diet

Mason, J. Tate, 2015

The Impact of Anthropogenic Noise on Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadius) Hunting Behavior

McAnnis-Gerhardt, Dawn M., 1991

Home Range, Activity Budgets, and Habitat Use of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) Breeding in Southwest Idaho

McVey, Kathlyn J., 2011

Trophic Ecology of Burrowing Owls in Natural and Agricultural Habitats and an Analysis of Predator Communities using Stable Isotopes of Carbon and Nitrogen

Miller, Robert, 2013

Breeding Ecology of The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) within a Unique Prey and Forest Landscape of the Western United States

Visit Research Gate for More Miller Information and Publications

Moulton, Colleen E., 2003

Ecology of Burrowing Owls in Southwestern Idaho: Association with Agriculture, Food Habits and Territorial Behavior

Nadeau, Andrew Joseph, 2012

A Genetic Analysis of Bald Eagles in the Pacific Northwest: Retained Genetic Diversity Following a Large-Scale Population Bottleneck

Nolte, Eric, 2012

Raptors Present but Unobserved: Detectability at a Western Migration Watch-Site and Its Effect on Trend Analysis

O'Keeffe, John L., 2013

Species Size Predicts Oxidative Stress in Five Migratory North American Raptors

Oleyar, M. David, 2000

Flammulated Owl (Otus flammeolus) Breeding Ecology in Aspen Forests of Northern Utah: Including Responses to Ski Area Development

P-S

Panasci, Theresa, 1995

Comparative Breeding Ecology and Success of Roadside Hawks in Human-Modified and Forest Habitats of Péten, Guatemala

Paprocki, Neil, 2013

Warming Winters and Changing Habitats: Interactive Effects on Raptor Populations and Implications for Conservation

See Paprocki’s Many Bird Photos on Flickr

Parker, Margaret N. (Megan), 1997

Ecology of Nesting Laughing Falcons and Bat Falcons in Tikal National Park, Guatemala: Foraging and Niche Breadth

Perkins, Dusty N., 2006

Population Genetics and Food Habits of Raptors in Southern Idaho

Visit ScholarWorks for Other Publications Authored or Co-authored by Perkins

Phelps III, James M. (Tad), 1993

Factors Affecting Foraging and Productivity of Ospreys (Pandion halieatus) at Cascade Reservoir, Idaho

Pope, Aimee L., 1999

Juvenile Ferruginous Hawk Movements and Flight Skill Development During the Post-Fledging Dependency Period in South-Central Washington

Porterfield, Christopher, 2016

Pheomelanin Pigment Is Not an Indicator of Feather Corticosterone Content in Diurnal Migratory Raptors in Idaho

Rains, Charlotte R., 1998

Niche Overlap, and Nearest-Neighbor Distances of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) and Western Screech-Owls (Otus kennicottii) in Southwestern Idaho

Ravecca, Eden, 2023

Impacts of Habitat Type on Individual Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) Movement and Foraging Behavior During the Breeding Season

Regan, Tempe, 2016

Barn Owls (Tyto alba) Crossing the Road – Examining the Interplay Among Occupancy, Behavior, Habitat Selection, and Roadway Mortality in Southern Idaho

Riding, Corey S., 2010

Effects of Old Nest Material on Occupancy and Reuse of Artificial Burrows, and Breeding Dispersal by Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) in Southwestern Idaho

Robinson, Bryce, 2016

Gyrfalcon Diet During the Brood Rearing Period on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, in the Context of a Changing World

See Robinson’s CV on Ornithologi

Rogers, Heather M., 2003

Modulation of the Adrenocortical Stress Response in North American Accipiters During Fall Migration and the Effect of Flight Strategies and Energy Expenditure on Their Baseline Corticosterone Secretion

Sanchez, Gonzalo "Gon" H., 1993

The Ecology of Wintering Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) in Central South Dakota

Santiago, Ashley, 2024

Associations Between Landscape Changes And Declines In Golden Eagle Territory Occupancy In The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds Of Prey National Conservation Area (not yet published)