Lee Tibbitts
Shorebird ecology, population monitoring, waterbird conservation.
Professional Experience
1998 - Present Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1988 - 1998 Biological Technician/General Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/ National Biological Service, Anchorage, Alaska
1981 - 1988 Various biotechnical positions, federal/ state wildlife agencies and universities, Oregon and Hawaii
Education and Certifications
M.S. 2000 Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA Wildlife Biology
B.S. 1982 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Wilson Ornithological Society
American Ornithologist's Union
Cooper Ornithological Society
Association of Field Ornithologists
Waterbird Society
Wader Study Group
Science and Products
Annual migratory patterns of long-billed curlews in the American west
Hemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
Post-breeding migration of Dutch-breeding black-tailed godwits: timing, routes, use of stopovers, and nonbreeding destinations
Abdominally implanted satellite transmitters affect reproduction and survival rather than migration of large shorebirds
Coping with the cold: An ecological context for the abundance and distribution of rock sandpipers during winter in upper Cook Inlet, Alaska
Polymorphic microsatellite loci identified through development and cross-species amplification within shorebirds
Small population size of Pribilof Rock Sandpipers confirmed through distance-sampling surveys in Alaska
Contrasting extreme long-distance migration patterns in bar-tailed godwits Limosa lapponica
Coelomic implantation of satellite transmitters in the bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) and the bristle-thighed curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) using propofol, bupivacaine, and lidocaine
Change in abundance of Pacific brant wintering in Alaska: Evidence of a climate warming effect?
Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 48
Annual migratory patterns of long-billed curlews in the American west
Effective conservation of migratory species requires comprehensive knowledge of annual movement patterns. Such information is sparse for the Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus), a North American endemic shorebird of conservation concern. To test hypotheses about individual and area differences in migratory patterns across western North America, we tagged 29 curlews with satellite transmittersAuthorsGary W. Page, Nils Warnock, T. Lee Tibbitts, Dennis Jorgensen, C. Alex Hartman, Lynne E. StenzelHemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific
The annual 29 000 km long migration of the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica baueri, around the Pacific Ocean traverses what is arguably the most complex and seasonally structured atmospheric setting on Earth. Faced with marked variation in wind regimes and storm conditions across oceanic migration corridors, individuals must make critical decisions about when and where to fly during nonstop fliAuthorsRobert E. Gill, David C. Douglas, Colleen M. Handel, T. Lee Tibbitts, Gary Hufford, Theunis PiersmaPost-breeding migration of Dutch-breeding black-tailed godwits: timing, routes, use of stopovers, and nonbreeding destinations
Conservation of long-distance migratory shorebirds is complex because these species use habitats spread across continents and hemispheres, making identification of critical habitats and potential bottlenecks in the annual cycle especially difficult. The population of Black-tailed Godwits that breeds in Western Europe, Limosa limosa limosa, has declined precipitously over the past few decades. DespAuthorsJos C. E. W. Hooijmeijer, Nathan R. Senner, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill, David C. Douglas, Leo W. Bruinzeel, Eddy Wymenga, Theunis PiersmaAbdominally implanted satellite transmitters affect reproduction and survival rather than migration of large shorebirds
Satellite telemetry has become a common technique to investigate avian life-histories, but whether such tagging will affect fitness is a critical unknown. In this study, we evaluate multi-year effects of implanted transmitters on migratory timing and reproductive performance in shorebirds. Shorebirds increasingly are recognized as good models in ecology and evolution. That many of them are of consAuthorsJos C. E. W. Hooijmeijer, Robert E. Gill, Daniel M. Mulcahy, T. Lee Tibbitts, Rosemarie Kentie, Gerrit J. Gerritsen, Leo W. Bruinzeel, David C. Tijssen, Christopher M. Harwood, Theunis PiersmaCoping with the cold: An ecological context for the abundance and distribution of rock sandpipers during winter in upper Cook Inlet, Alaska
Shorebirds are conspicuous and abundant at high northern latitudes during spring and summer, but as seasonal conditions deteriorate, few remain during winter. To the best of our knowledge, Cook Inlet, Alaska (60.6˚ N, 151.6˚ W), is the world’s coldest site that regularly supports wintering populations of shorebirds, and it is also the most northerly nonbreeding location for shorebirds in the PacifAuthorsDaniel R. Ruthrauff, Robert E. Gill, T. Lee TibbittsPolymorphic microsatellite loci identified through development and cross-species amplification within shorebirds
We developed microsatellite loci for demographic assessments of shorebirds, a group with limited markers. First, we isolated five dinucleotide repeat microsatellite loci from the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopodidae: Haematopus bachmani), and three from the Bristle-thighed Curlew (Scolopacidae: Numenius tahitiensis); both species are of conservation concern. All eight loci were polymorphic in theirAuthorsI. Williams, Brian M. Guzzetti, Judy R. Gust, G. Kevin Sage, Robert E. Gill, T. Lee Tibbitts, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. TalbotSmall population size of Pribilof Rock Sandpipers confirmed through distance-sampling surveys in Alaska
The Rock Sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis) is endemic to the Bering Sea region and unique among shorebirds in the North Pacific for wintering at high latitudes. The nominate subspecies, the Pribilof Rock Sandpiper (C. p. ptilocnemis), breeds on four isolated islands in the Bering Sea and appears to spend the winter primarily in Cook Inlet, Alaska. We used a stratified systematic sampling design andAuthorsDaniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill, Maksim N. Dementyev, Colleen M. HandelContrasting extreme long-distance migration patterns in bar-tailed godwits Limosa lapponica
Migrating birds make the longest non-stop endurance flights in the animal kingdom. Satellite technology is now providing direct evidence on the lengths and durations of these flights and associated staging episodes for individual birds. Using this technology, we compared the migration performance of two subspecies of bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica travelling between non-breeding grounds in NewAuthorsPhil F. Battley, Nils Warnock, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill, Theunis Piersma, Chris J. Hassell, David C. Douglas, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Brett D. Gartrell, Rob Schuckard, David S. Melville, Adrian C. RiegenCoelomic implantation of satellite transmitters in the bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) and the bristle-thighed curlew (Numenius tahitiensis) using propofol, bupivacaine, and lidocaine
Intravenous propofol was used as a general anesthetic with a 2∶1 (mg∶mg) adjunctive mixture of lidocaine and bupivacaine as local anesthetics infiltrated into the surgical sites for implantation of satellite transmitters into the right abdominal air sac of 39 female and 4 male bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri and Limosa lapponica menzbeiri) and 11 female and 12 male bristle-thighed curlAuthorsDaniel M. Mulcahy, Brett D. Gartrell, Robert E. Gill, T. Lee Tibbitts, Daniel R. RuthrauffChange in abundance of Pacific brant wintering in Alaska: Evidence of a climate warming effect?
Winter distribution of Pacific Flyway brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) has shifted northward from low-temperate areas to sub-Arctic areas over the last 42 years. We assessed the winter abundance and distribution of brant in Alaska to evaluate whether climate warming may be contributing to positive trends in the most northern of the wintering populations. Mean surface air temperatures during winteAuthorsDavid H. Ward, Christian P. Dau, T. Lee Tibbitts, James S. Sedinger, Betty A. Anderson, James E. HinesExtreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Mountain ranges, deserts, ice fields and oceans generally act as barriers to the movement of land-dependent animals, often profoundly shaping migration routes. We used satellite telemetry to track the southward flights of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri), shorebirds whose breeding and non-breeding areas are separated by the vast central Pacific Ocean. Seven females with surgically implAuthorsRobert E. Gill, T. Lee Tibbitts, David C. Douglas, Colleen M. Handel, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Jon C. Gottschalck, Nils Warnock, Brian J. McCaffery, Phil F. Battley, Theunis Piersma - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government