OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH INTERESTS

R. H. WILEY AND COLLEAGUES

My research group focused on field studies of
  • long-range vocal communication by temperate and tropical birds
  • vocal communication in noisy conditions (colonies, choruses)
  • sexual conflict and monogamy in territorial birds
  • sexual selection in polygynous mating systems and leks
  • site-specific dominance in wintering birds
  • cooperative breeding in tropical wrens
  • Continuing themes in all of these studies are
    age-dependent behavior and recognition of individuals.
    Our goal was to understand the complexity of animal social behavior ... especially communication.
    Facilities include up-to-date equipment for recording, display, and synthesis of sound.

    For field work, we often use the nearby Mason Farm Biological Reserve.

    My students and postdoctoral associates have conducted research on a variety of issues
    in sociobiology and animal communication, both locally and far afield, including
    throughout the American tropics.