Unit Leader - Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Courtney grew up in Cincinnati and spent many of his weekends camping, hiking, backpacking, and climbing in OH, KY, and WV. He was motivated to find a career where he could continue to do these activities as part of his job, while still contributing to science.
Research Interests
- Avian ecology
- Behavioral ecology
- Conservation biology
- Life history evolution
- Avian migration
Teaching Interests
I teach Conceptual Foundations in Ecology, a 3-credit graduate class on critical thinking, the scientific method, and how to develop and test mechanisitic hypotheses in ecology. I also occasionally teach or co-teach graduate seminars on topics in avian ecology.
Professional Experience
Unit Leader, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2011-
Assistant Unit Leader, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2000-2011
Education and Certifications
Ph D University of Montana 1998
MS University of Wyoming 1990
BS Colorado State University 1985
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 56
Geographic variation in dispersal of western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) populations across North America
Dispersal is one of the key elements of species’ metapopulation dynamics and, hence, influences global conservation status. Furthermore, determining the geographic variation in magnitude and direction of dispersal throughout a species’ distribution may expand our understanding of the causes of population declines in species of conservation concern. For instance, western burrowing owl (Athene cunic
Authors
Alberto Macias-Duarte, Courtney J. Conway
Mapping habitat quality and threats for eastern Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis)
Documenting the spatial distribution of high-quality habitat patches, the distributions of threats and protected areas, and the vulnerability of habitat patches to changes in environmental conditions is vital for conservation of rare species. Range-wide species distribution models were developed for Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis) to predict the distribution of high-quality habitat patches fo
Authors
Bryan S. Stevens, Courtney J. Conway
Sexual dimorphism in morphology and plumage of endangered Yuma Ridgway’s Rails: A model for documenting sex
Many applications in wildlife management require knowledge of the sex of individual animals. The Yuma Ridgway's rail Rallus obsoletus yumanensis is an endangered marsh bird with monomorphic plumage and secretive behaviors, thereby complicating sex determination in field studies. We collected morphometric measurements from 270 adult Yuma Ridgway's rails and quantified the plumage and mandible color
Authors
Courtney J. Conway, E. J. Harrity, L. E. Michael
The role of neutral and adaptive genomic variation in population diversification and speciation in two ground squirrel species of conservation concern
Understanding the neutral (demographic) and adaptive processes leading to the differentiation of species and populations is a critical component of evolutionary and conservation biology. In this context, recently diverged taxa represent a unique opportunity to study the process of genetic differentiation. Northern and southern Idaho ground squirrels (Urocitellus brunneus—NIDGS, and U. endemicus—SI
Authors
Soraia Barbosa, Kimberly R. Andrews, Amanda R. Goldberg, Digpal S. Gour, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Courtney J. Conway, Lisette P. Waits
Long-term population fluctuations of a Burrowing Owl population on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA
Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea; hereafter, Burrowing Owls) were once widespread residents of grasslands throughout western North America, but their range has contracted, and abundance has declined in some regions. The causes of declines and geographic variation in population trends of Burrowing Owls are unclear but may be linked to changing land use and urbanization. Burrowing
Authors
Carl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway, Kristen Cruz-McDonnell, Dejeanne Doublet, Martha J. Desmond, Corrie Navis, Kurt Ongman
Managing wildlife at landscape scales
Managing wildlife populations on a landscape is not a new concept to the field of wildlife management. However, a variety of barriers exist to effectively manage wildlife species at landscape scales. For example, competing management objectives for the same population can occur in parts of two adjoining states and 3-4 agencies within a single state may be charged with managing the habitat on which
Authors
John W. Connelly, Courtney J. Conway
Habitat heterogeneity, temperature, and primary productivity drive elevational gradients in avian species diversity
AimAnticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate change on species diversity in montane ecosystems requires a mechanistic understanding of drivers of current patterns of diversity. We documented the shape of elevational gradients in avian species richness in North America and tested a suite of a priori predictions for each of five mechanistic hypotheses to explain those patterns.LocationUnite
Authors
Kristen G. Dillon, Courtney J. Conway
Hibernation behavior of a federally-threatened ground squirrel: Climate change and habitat selection implications
Hibernation is an adaptation to survive periods of stress, from food limitation or harsh thermal conditions. A key question in contemporary ecology is whether rare, range-restricted species can change their behavior in response to climate change (i.e., through behavioral plasticity). The northern Idaho ground squirrel, Urocitellus brunneus (A. H. Howell, 1928), is a federally threatened species th
Authors
Amanda R. Goldberg, Courtney J. Conway
Survival of greater Sage-Grouse broods: Survey method affects disturbance and age-specific detection probability
Investigators rely on brood surveys to estimate annual fecundity of game birds. However, investigators often do not account for factors that influence brood detection probability nor rarely document how much females and their broods are disturbed (flush rates) during surveys, which could lead to biased survival estimates. We used 45 radio-tagged female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianu
Authors
Ian P. Riley, Courtney J. Conway, B. S. Stevens, S. Roberts
Nest microclimate and limits to egg viability explain avian life-history variation across latitudinal gradients
Variation in life-history strategies is central to our understanding of population dynamics and how organisms adapt to their environments. Yet, we lack consensus regarding the ecological processes that drive variation in traits related to reproduction and survival. For example, we still do not understand the cause of two widespread inter- and intraspecific patterns: 1) the ubiquitous positive asso
Authors
Carl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway
Ashmole's hypothesis and the latitudinal gradient in clutch size
One enduring priority for ecologists has been to understand the cause(s) of variation in reproductive effort among species and localities. Avian clutch size generally increases with increasing latitude, both within and across species, but the mechanism(s) driving that pattern continue to generate hypotheses and debate. In 1961, a Ph.D. student at Oxford University, N. Philip Ashmole, proposed the
Authors
Carl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway
Effects of experimental flea removal and plague vaccine treatments on survival of northern Idaho ground squirrels and two coexisting sciurids
Plague is a non-native disease in North America that reduces survival of many mammals. Previous studies have focused on epizootic plague which causes acute mortality events and dramatic declines in local abundance. We know much less about enzootic plague which causes less punctuated reductions in survival and abundance of infected populations. As a result, enzootic plague is much more difficult to
Authors
Amanda R. Goldberg, Courtney J. Conway, Dean E. Biggins
Effects of deltamethrin applications on non-target small mammal populations in South Dakota, Colorado, and Idaho, 2010-2017
We trapped small mammals at two sites in Badlands National Park, Pennington County, South Dakota from 2013-2017; two sites in Larimer County, Colorado from 2010-2011; and four sites in Adams County, Idaho from 2014-2017. Each site contained at least one or more treated plots (deltamethrin dust applied to burrows or bait stations for flea control) paired with one or more non-treated plots. We trapp
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 56
Geographic variation in dispersal of western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) populations across North America
Dispersal is one of the key elements of species’ metapopulation dynamics and, hence, influences global conservation status. Furthermore, determining the geographic variation in magnitude and direction of dispersal throughout a species’ distribution may expand our understanding of the causes of population declines in species of conservation concern. For instance, western burrowing owl (Athene cunicAuthorsAlberto Macias-Duarte, Courtney J. ConwayMapping habitat quality and threats for eastern Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis)
Documenting the spatial distribution of high-quality habitat patches, the distributions of threats and protected areas, and the vulnerability of habitat patches to changes in environmental conditions is vital for conservation of rare species. Range-wide species distribution models were developed for Black Rails (Laterallus jamaicensis) to predict the distribution of high-quality habitat patches foAuthorsBryan S. Stevens, Courtney J. ConwaySexual dimorphism in morphology and plumage of endangered Yuma Ridgway’s Rails: A model for documenting sex
Many applications in wildlife management require knowledge of the sex of individual animals. The Yuma Ridgway's rail Rallus obsoletus yumanensis is an endangered marsh bird with monomorphic plumage and secretive behaviors, thereby complicating sex determination in field studies. We collected morphometric measurements from 270 adult Yuma Ridgway's rails and quantified the plumage and mandible colorAuthorsCourtney J. Conway, E. J. Harrity, L. E. MichaelThe role of neutral and adaptive genomic variation in population diversification and speciation in two ground squirrel species of conservation concern
Understanding the neutral (demographic) and adaptive processes leading to the differentiation of species and populations is a critical component of evolutionary and conservation biology. In this context, recently diverged taxa represent a unique opportunity to study the process of genetic differentiation. Northern and southern Idaho ground squirrels (Urocitellus brunneus—NIDGS, and U. endemicus—SIAuthorsSoraia Barbosa, Kimberly R. Andrews, Amanda R. Goldberg, Digpal S. Gour, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Courtney J. Conway, Lisette P. WaitsLong-term population fluctuations of a Burrowing Owl population on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA
Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea; hereafter, Burrowing Owls) were once widespread residents of grasslands throughout western North America, but their range has contracted, and abundance has declined in some regions. The causes of declines and geographic variation in population trends of Burrowing Owls are unclear but may be linked to changing land use and urbanization. BurrowingAuthorsCarl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway, Kristen Cruz-McDonnell, Dejeanne Doublet, Martha J. Desmond, Corrie Navis, Kurt OngmanManaging wildlife at landscape scales
Managing wildlife populations on a landscape is not a new concept to the field of wildlife management. However, a variety of barriers exist to effectively manage wildlife species at landscape scales. For example, competing management objectives for the same population can occur in parts of two adjoining states and 3-4 agencies within a single state may be charged with managing the habitat on whichAuthorsJohn W. Connelly, Courtney J. ConwayHabitat heterogeneity, temperature, and primary productivity drive elevational gradients in avian species diversity
AimAnticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate change on species diversity in montane ecosystems requires a mechanistic understanding of drivers of current patterns of diversity. We documented the shape of elevational gradients in avian species richness in North America and tested a suite of a priori predictions for each of five mechanistic hypotheses to explain those patterns.LocationUniteAuthorsKristen G. Dillon, Courtney J. ConwayHibernation behavior of a federally-threatened ground squirrel: Climate change and habitat selection implications
Hibernation is an adaptation to survive periods of stress, from food limitation or harsh thermal conditions. A key question in contemporary ecology is whether rare, range-restricted species can change their behavior in response to climate change (i.e., through behavioral plasticity). The northern Idaho ground squirrel, Urocitellus brunneus (A. H. Howell, 1928), is a federally threatened species thAuthorsAmanda R. Goldberg, Courtney J. ConwaySurvival of greater Sage-Grouse broods: Survey method affects disturbance and age-specific detection probability
Investigators rely on brood surveys to estimate annual fecundity of game birds. However, investigators often do not account for factors that influence brood detection probability nor rarely document how much females and their broods are disturbed (flush rates) during surveys, which could lead to biased survival estimates. We used 45 radio-tagged female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianuAuthorsIan P. Riley, Courtney J. Conway, B. S. Stevens, S. RobertsNest microclimate and limits to egg viability explain avian life-history variation across latitudinal gradients
Variation in life-history strategies is central to our understanding of population dynamics and how organisms adapt to their environments. Yet, we lack consensus regarding the ecological processes that drive variation in traits related to reproduction and survival. For example, we still do not understand the cause of two widespread inter- and intraspecific patterns: 1) the ubiquitous positive assoAuthorsCarl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. ConwayAshmole's hypothesis and the latitudinal gradient in clutch size
One enduring priority for ecologists has been to understand the cause(s) of variation in reproductive effort among species and localities. Avian clutch size generally increases with increasing latitude, both within and across species, but the mechanism(s) driving that pattern continue to generate hypotheses and debate. In 1961, a Ph.D. student at Oxford University, N. Philip Ashmole, proposed theAuthorsCarl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. ConwayEffects of experimental flea removal and plague vaccine treatments on survival of northern Idaho ground squirrels and two coexisting sciurids
Plague is a non-native disease in North America that reduces survival of many mammals. Previous studies have focused on epizootic plague which causes acute mortality events and dramatic declines in local abundance. We know much less about enzootic plague which causes less punctuated reductions in survival and abundance of infected populations. As a result, enzootic plague is much more difficult toAuthorsAmanda R. Goldberg, Courtney J. Conway, Dean E. Biggins - Data
Effects of deltamethrin applications on non-target small mammal populations in South Dakota, Colorado, and Idaho, 2010-2017
We trapped small mammals at two sites in Badlands National Park, Pennington County, South Dakota from 2013-2017; two sites in Larimer County, Colorado from 2010-2011; and four sites in Adams County, Idaho from 2014-2017. Each site contained at least one or more treated plots (deltamethrin dust applied to burrows or bait stations for flea control) paired with one or more non-treated plots. We trapp - Multimedia