Photo of a USGS scientist holding a hen mallard equipped with a GPS transmitter.
Michael Casazza
Mike Casazza's research program at the Dixon Field Station focuses on the ecology of waterfowl and wetland management in the Pacific Flyway.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Mike and his team are experts in wildlife telemetry and apply cutting edge tools to answer complex ecological questions. In addition, Mike’s program also focuses on threatened and endangered species in a variety of ecosystems including primary ecological research on the endangered California Ridgway's Rail in SF Bay, the endangered San Francisco Gartersnake, the threatened Giant Gartersnake in the Central Valley of California, the California state-listed Greater Sandhill Crane, and the Greater Sage-Grouse. Mike Casazza's research has targeted studies which provide critical species information to land managers responsible for maintaining diverse and healthy wildlife populations while trying to help recover special status species. Understanding key life history traits of special status species can lead to management options promoting species recovery.
EDUCATION
- 1995 M.S. California State University, Sacramento Thesis: Habitat use and movement of Northern Pintails wintering in Suisun Marsh, CA
- 1988 B.S. Wildlife Biology, U.C. Davis
Science and Products
AIMS for Wildlife
Waterbird Ecology and Movement in the Saline Lakes
Avian Influenza Prevalence Correlated to Mercury Concentrations in Wild Waterfowl
Goose Population Dynamics in the California Central Valley and Pacific Flyway
Webinar: Linking Remote Sensing and Bird Behavior Data to Understand the Impacts of Drought on Waterfowl
Suisun Marsh Waterfowl and Wildlife Studies
Integrating Remote-Sensing and Ecological Forecasting into Decision-Support for Wetland Wildlife Management in the Central Valley of California
Waterfowl Ecology in California and the Pacific Flyway
Ecology and Population Dynamics of Ridgway's Rails along the West Coast of the U.S.
Dixon Field Station
The Impact of Drought on Waterbirds and Their Wetland Habitats in California’s Central Valley
Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Extreme Storms on California Coastal Habitats: Part 1
Timing of Occurrence of Waterfowl in U.S. Counties and Canadian Counties, Boroughs, Census Districts, and Other Populated Area Designations with Modeled Exposure Status to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in 2021-2022
Movement Data for Migrating Geese Over the Northeast Pacific Ocean, 2018-2021
Data describing habitat use and availability for wild waterfowl in California, USA
Movements, Used Habitats, and Available Habitats Identified using Step Selection Processes for Four Species of Waterfowl in California's Central Valley, 2016-2022
Waterfowl GPS Observations in North America from 2015 to 2023 for Custom Wildlife Report Example for Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
Bibliography of hydrological and ecological research in the Great Basin terminal lakes, USA
Data to Support Hierarchical Models and Decision Support Maps to Guide Management of Subsidized Avian Predator Densities
Influence of microhabitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival depends on ecological site potential
Selection and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods in Mesic Areas of Long Valley, California (2003 - 2018)
Data describing infection status and movement ecology of North American waterfowl
Spatially-Explicit Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Selection Integrated with Brood Survival in Nevada and Northeastern California, USA
Hourly GPS Locations, Associated Habitat Condition, and Annotated Life History State for Training Machine Learned Models of Waterfowl Daily Activity
![Photo of a hen mallard with a GPS transmitter.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/hen%20mallard%20with%20transmitter_USGS.jpg?itok=mVZDaA2M)
Photo of a USGS scientist holding a hen mallard equipped with a GPS transmitter.
A photo of USGS biological science technician Desmond Mackell holding a male mallard. USGS scientists based out of Dixon, CA are banding and marking mallards and other waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study in the Suisun Marsh.
A photo of USGS biological science technician Desmond Mackell holding a male mallard. USGS scientists based out of Dixon, CA are banding and marking mallards and other waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study in the Suisun Marsh.
A photo of USGS biological science technician releasing a male pintail in Suisun Marsh, CA. USGS Western Ecological Research Center scientists based out of Dixon, CA are marking and tagging waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study.
A photo of USGS biological science technician releasing a male pintail in Suisun Marsh, CA. USGS Western Ecological Research Center scientists based out of Dixon, CA are marking and tagging waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study.
Mitigating risk: Predicting H5N1 avian influenza spread with an empirical model of bird movement
Status of greater sage-grouse in the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment—An evaluation of population trends, habitat selection, and efficacy of conservation actions
Potential use of poultry farms by wild waterfowl in California's Central Valley varies across space, times of day, and species: implications for influenza transmission risk
Geese migrating over the Pacific Ocean select altitudes coinciding with offshore wind turbine blades
Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment
Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States
Movement behavior, habitat selection, and functional responses to habitat availability among four species of wintering waterfowl in California
AIMS for wildlife: Developing an automated interactive monitoring system to integrate real-time movement and environmental data for true adaptive management
A spatially explicit modeling framework to guide management of subsidized avian predator densities
Nest attendance, incubation constancy, and onset of incubation in dabbling ducks
Knowledge coproduction on the impact of decisions for waterbird habitat in a changing climate
Geothermal energy production adversely affects a sensitive indicator species within sagebrush ecosystems in western North America
Waterfowl Ecology in Suisun Marsh and the Pacific Flyway
Learn about waterfowl research by scientists at the USGS Western Ecological Research Center.
Code for a hierarchical model of raven densities linked with sage-grouse nest survival to help guide management of subsidized avian predators, version 1.0
Science and Products
AIMS for Wildlife
Waterbird Ecology and Movement in the Saline Lakes
Avian Influenza Prevalence Correlated to Mercury Concentrations in Wild Waterfowl
Goose Population Dynamics in the California Central Valley and Pacific Flyway
Webinar: Linking Remote Sensing and Bird Behavior Data to Understand the Impacts of Drought on Waterfowl
Suisun Marsh Waterfowl and Wildlife Studies
Integrating Remote-Sensing and Ecological Forecasting into Decision-Support for Wetland Wildlife Management in the Central Valley of California
Waterfowl Ecology in California and the Pacific Flyway
Ecology and Population Dynamics of Ridgway's Rails along the West Coast of the U.S.
Dixon Field Station
The Impact of Drought on Waterbirds and Their Wetland Habitats in California’s Central Valley
Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Extreme Storms on California Coastal Habitats: Part 1
Timing of Occurrence of Waterfowl in U.S. Counties and Canadian Counties, Boroughs, Census Districts, and Other Populated Area Designations with Modeled Exposure Status to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in 2021-2022
Movement Data for Migrating Geese Over the Northeast Pacific Ocean, 2018-2021
Data describing habitat use and availability for wild waterfowl in California, USA
Movements, Used Habitats, and Available Habitats Identified using Step Selection Processes for Four Species of Waterfowl in California's Central Valley, 2016-2022
Waterfowl GPS Observations in North America from 2015 to 2023 for Custom Wildlife Report Example for Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
Bibliography of hydrological and ecological research in the Great Basin terminal lakes, USA
Data to Support Hierarchical Models and Decision Support Maps to Guide Management of Subsidized Avian Predator Densities
Influence of microhabitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival depends on ecological site potential
Selection and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods in Mesic Areas of Long Valley, California (2003 - 2018)
Data describing infection status and movement ecology of North American waterfowl
Spatially-Explicit Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Selection Integrated with Brood Survival in Nevada and Northeastern California, USA
Hourly GPS Locations, Associated Habitat Condition, and Annotated Life History State for Training Machine Learned Models of Waterfowl Daily Activity
![Photo of a hen mallard with a GPS transmitter.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/hen%20mallard%20with%20transmitter_USGS.jpg?itok=mVZDaA2M)
Photo of a USGS scientist holding a hen mallard equipped with a GPS transmitter.
Photo of a USGS scientist holding a hen mallard equipped with a GPS transmitter.
A photo of USGS biological science technician Desmond Mackell holding a male mallard. USGS scientists based out of Dixon, CA are banding and marking mallards and other waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study in the Suisun Marsh.
A photo of USGS biological science technician Desmond Mackell holding a male mallard. USGS scientists based out of Dixon, CA are banding and marking mallards and other waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study in the Suisun Marsh.
A photo of USGS biological science technician releasing a male pintail in Suisun Marsh, CA. USGS Western Ecological Research Center scientists based out of Dixon, CA are marking and tagging waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study.
A photo of USGS biological science technician releasing a male pintail in Suisun Marsh, CA. USGS Western Ecological Research Center scientists based out of Dixon, CA are marking and tagging waterfowl with GPS transmitters as part of an ongoing study.
Mitigating risk: Predicting H5N1 avian influenza spread with an empirical model of bird movement
Status of greater sage-grouse in the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment—An evaluation of population trends, habitat selection, and efficacy of conservation actions
Potential use of poultry farms by wild waterfowl in California's Central Valley varies across space, times of day, and species: implications for influenza transmission risk
Geese migrating over the Pacific Ocean select altitudes coinciding with offshore wind turbine blades
Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment
Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States
Movement behavior, habitat selection, and functional responses to habitat availability among four species of wintering waterfowl in California
AIMS for wildlife: Developing an automated interactive monitoring system to integrate real-time movement and environmental data for true adaptive management
A spatially explicit modeling framework to guide management of subsidized avian predator densities
Nest attendance, incubation constancy, and onset of incubation in dabbling ducks
Knowledge coproduction on the impact of decisions for waterbird habitat in a changing climate
Geothermal energy production adversely affects a sensitive indicator species within sagebrush ecosystems in western North America
Waterfowl Ecology in Suisun Marsh and the Pacific Flyway
Learn about waterfowl research by scientists at the USGS Western Ecological Research Center.