Courtney Conway, PhD
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.
Courtney joined the Arizona Unit in 2000 as Assistant Unit Leader and joined the Idaho Unit in 2011 as Unit Leader.
Courtney conducts research that bridges applied and conceptual questions in ecology primarily on birds and mammals of management or conservation concern in ecosystems throughout North America. His research has made substantive contributions to sampling designs and monitoring protocols for rare or listed species, and to our basic understanding of life history evolution, avian migration, mammal hibernation, and other iconic animal behaviors. The taxonomic breadth of his research program includes gamebirds, waterbirds, raptors, songbirds, and small mammals. He has developed and implemented numerous efforts to integrate management actions with experimental research treatments to rigorously examine the effectiveness of alternative management actions on animal populations. Dr. Conway teaches courses in Experimental Design, the Hypothetico-Deductive Method, Scientific Writing, Scientific Presentations, and a variety of graduate seminars and he mentors a large group of close-knit students and staff.
Courtney received a B.S. from Colorado State University, a M.S. from University of Wyoming, a Ph.D. from University of Montana, and was a post-doctoral fellow at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse. He spent a year working as a Research Associate at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Research Center in VA, 3 years at the University of Rhode Island, and 1 year at Washington State University.
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: 57
Power to detect trends in abundance of secretive marsh birds: effects of species traits and sampling effort
Standardized protocols for surveying secretive marsh birds have been implemented across North America, but the efficacy of surveys to detect population trends has not been evaluated. We used survey data collected from populations of marsh birds across North America and simulations to explore how characteristics of bird populations (proportion of survey stations occupied, abundance at occupied stat
Authors
Robert J. Steidl, Courtney J. Conway, Andrea R. Litt
Multi-species call-broadcast improved detection of endangered Yuma clapper rail compared to single-species call-broadcast
Broadcasting calls of marsh birds during point-count surveys increases their detection probability and decreases variation in the number of birds detected across replicate surveys. However, multi-species monitoring using call-broadcast may reduce these benefits if birds are reluctant to call once they hear broadcasted calls of other species. We compared a protocol that uses call-broadcast for only
Authors
Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway, Linden Piest, William P. Burger
Intraspecific variation in reproductive traits of burrowing owls
Reviews of hatching asynchrony in birds recommended more studies on intraspecific variation in the extent of hatching asynchrony. We examined intraspecific variation in clutch size, laying chronology, onset of incubation, incubation period, and hatching asynchrony in burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in the Imperial Valley of California. Mean clutch size was 7.4 eggs and owls averaged 0.5 eggs l
Authors
Meaghan Conway, Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway
Field evaluation of distance-estimation error during wetland-dependent bird surveys
Context: The most common methods to estimate detection probability during avian point-count surveys involve recording a distance between the survey point and individual birds detected during the survey period. Accurately measuring or estimating distance is an important assumption of these methods; however, this assumption is rarely tested in the context of aural avian point-count surveys. Aims: We
Authors
Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway
Frequent vocalizing is negatively associated with brood parasitism in a host of the brown-headed cowbird
Brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) can substantially affect host species' reproductive success. The "host-activity" hypothesis suggests that parasites eavesdrop on conspicuous behaviors to locate and parasitize hosts, and several studies of cowbird hosts support this hypothesis. In contrast, a recent study of the Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) reported a nega
Authors
Sonya E. Steckler, Courtney J. Conway
Summary of intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting detection probability of marsh birds
Many species of marsh birds (rails, bitterns, grebes, etc.) rely exclusively on emergent marsh vegetation for all phases of their life cycle, and many organizations have become concerned about the status and persistence of this group of birds. Yet, marsh birds are notoriously difficult to monitor due to their secretive habits. We synthesized the published and unpublished literature and summarized
Authors
Courtney J. Conway, J.P. Gibbs
Why do some, but not all, tropical birds migrate? A comparative study of diet breadth and fruit preference
Annual migrations of birds profoundly influence terrestrial communities. However, few empirical studies examine why birds migrate, in part due to the difficulty of testing causal hypotheses in long-distance migration systems. Short-distance altitudinal migrations provide relatively tractable systems in which to test explanations for migration. Many past studies explain tropical altitudinal migrati
Authors
W.A. Boyle, Courtney J. Conway, Judith L. Bronstein
Standardized North American marsh bird monitoring protocol
Little is known about the population status of many marsh-dependent birds in North America but recent efforts have focused on collecting more reliable information and estimates of population trends. As part of that effort, a standardized survey protocol was developed in 1999 that provided guidance for conducting marsh bird surveys throughout North America such that data would be consistent among l
Authors
Courtney J. Conway
Burrowing owl nesting productivity: A comparison between artificial and natural burrows on and off golf courses
Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) populations are declining in many portions of their range, and lack of suitable nesting burrows is thought to be one reason for observed declines. Burrowing owls are attracted to golf courses because the birds generally nest and forage in short-grass, open areas, yet golf courses seldom have suitable nesting burrows. We examined the efficacy of installing artific
Authors
M. D. Smith, Courtney J. Conway, L. A. Ellis
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 57
Power to detect trends in abundance of secretive marsh birds: effects of species traits and sampling effort
Standardized protocols for surveying secretive marsh birds have been implemented across North America, but the efficacy of surveys to detect population trends has not been evaluated. We used survey data collected from populations of marsh birds across North America and simulations to explore how characteristics of bird populations (proportion of survey stations occupied, abundance at occupied stat
Authors
Robert J. Steidl, Courtney J. Conway, Andrea R. Litt
Multi-species call-broadcast improved detection of endangered Yuma clapper rail compared to single-species call-broadcast
Broadcasting calls of marsh birds during point-count surveys increases their detection probability and decreases variation in the number of birds detected across replicate surveys. However, multi-species monitoring using call-broadcast may reduce these benefits if birds are reluctant to call once they hear broadcasted calls of other species. We compared a protocol that uses call-broadcast for only
Authors
Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway, Linden Piest, William P. Burger
Intraspecific variation in reproductive traits of burrowing owls
Reviews of hatching asynchrony in birds recommended more studies on intraspecific variation in the extent of hatching asynchrony. We examined intraspecific variation in clutch size, laying chronology, onset of incubation, incubation period, and hatching asynchrony in burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in the Imperial Valley of California. Mean clutch size was 7.4 eggs and owls averaged 0.5 eggs l
Authors
Meaghan Conway, Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway
Field evaluation of distance-estimation error during wetland-dependent bird surveys
Context: The most common methods to estimate detection probability during avian point-count surveys involve recording a distance between the survey point and individual birds detected during the survey period. Accurately measuring or estimating distance is an important assumption of these methods; however, this assumption is rarely tested in the context of aural avian point-count surveys. Aims: We
Authors
Christopher P. Nadeau, Courtney J. Conway
Frequent vocalizing is negatively associated with brood parasitism in a host of the brown-headed cowbird
Brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) can substantially affect host species' reproductive success. The "host-activity" hypothesis suggests that parasites eavesdrop on conspicuous behaviors to locate and parasitize hosts, and several studies of cowbird hosts support this hypothesis. In contrast, a recent study of the Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) reported a nega
Authors
Sonya E. Steckler, Courtney J. Conway
Summary of intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting detection probability of marsh birds
Many species of marsh birds (rails, bitterns, grebes, etc.) rely exclusively on emergent marsh vegetation for all phases of their life cycle, and many organizations have become concerned about the status and persistence of this group of birds. Yet, marsh birds are notoriously difficult to monitor due to their secretive habits. We synthesized the published and unpublished literature and summarized
Authors
Courtney J. Conway, J.P. Gibbs
Why do some, but not all, tropical birds migrate? A comparative study of diet breadth and fruit preference
Annual migrations of birds profoundly influence terrestrial communities. However, few empirical studies examine why birds migrate, in part due to the difficulty of testing causal hypotheses in long-distance migration systems. Short-distance altitudinal migrations provide relatively tractable systems in which to test explanations for migration. Many past studies explain tropical altitudinal migrati
Authors
W.A. Boyle, Courtney J. Conway, Judith L. Bronstein
Standardized North American marsh bird monitoring protocol
Little is known about the population status of many marsh-dependent birds in North America but recent efforts have focused on collecting more reliable information and estimates of population trends. As part of that effort, a standardized survey protocol was developed in 1999 that provided guidance for conducting marsh bird surveys throughout North America such that data would be consistent among l
Authors
Courtney J. Conway
Burrowing owl nesting productivity: A comparison between artificial and natural burrows on and off golf courses
Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) populations are declining in many portions of their range, and lack of suitable nesting burrows is thought to be one reason for observed declines. Burrowing owls are attracted to golf courses because the birds generally nest and forage in short-grass, open areas, yet golf courses seldom have suitable nesting burrows. We examined the efficacy of installing artific
Authors
M. D. Smith, Courtney J. Conway, L. A. Ellis