Terry Chesser, Ph.D.
Terry is a Research Zoologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.
Having previously held positions with the American Museum of Natural History (New York) and the Australian National Wildlife Collection (Canberra), as well as an adjunct position with the US National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian). Terry's research focuses on the systematics, diversity, conservation, and management of birds.
He uses genetic and genomic techniques to study the systematics, diversity, conservation, and management of birds. His contributions to avian taxonomy and conservation also include chairmanship of the AOS Committee on Classification and Nomenclature (North America), which provides a standardized avian taxonomy for use by public agencies and private individuals and organizations.
Current projects include studies of:
- genomic variation in Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) and Hutton’s Vireo (Vireo huttoni) on the Channel Islands, as part of a larger project informing management of Channel Islands National Park and private lands on multiple scientific issues
- genomic variation in the Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) and Akekee (Loxops caeruleirostris), two critically endangered birds endemic to Kauai, so that genetically diverse, viable captive breeding programs can be established
- population structure and migration ecology of two Pacific populations of the endangered Red Knot (Calidris canutus), as well as population structure more broadly in the Americas
- genetics of Red Knot (Calidris canutus), Sanderling (Calidris alba), and Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) at Delaware Bay, three species reliant on migration stopovers there
- genomics of US and Caribbean populations of the endangered Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), to assess current and past gene flow between these populations
- phylogenetic relationships and species status of Procellariiformes seabirds, which include the albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters, many of which are endangered or otherwise of conservation interest
- genetic variation and phylogeography of selected seabirds (non-Procellariiformes) breeding in the Caribbean and Pacific regions, to determine the conservation status of geographically isolated populations and understand factors promoting genetic isolation in marine environments
- phylogenetic relationships among all species of birds (the OpenWings project), to provide the foundation for future classification and ecological and evolutionary comparative research on birds
- a comprehensive revision of the subspecific taxonomy of the birds of North America, for use by policy makers and wildlife managers as well as by scientists and NGOs
- the systematics, biogeography, and evolution of hyper-diverse suboscine birds, to understand the systematics and taxonomy of the group and the processes that contributed to its radiation in the Americas
- comparative genetic, vocal, and morphological variation in Neotropical antbirds, to understand patterns of speciation and determine species diversity in cryptic groups of birds
- effect of anthropogenic noise on
Professional Experience
Research Zoologist, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD: 2005-present
Curator of Birds and Adjunct Scientist, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC: 2005-2018
Director (Curator-in-Charge), Australian National Wildlife Collection, Canberra, Australia: 2000-2005
Curatorial Associate, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY: 1999-2000
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ: 1997-1999
Postdoctoral Fellow, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY: 1995-1997
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 1995, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Affiliations and Memberships*
Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Science and Products
Morphological divergence in a continental adaptive radiation: South American ovenbirds of the genus Cinclodes
Fifty-sixth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union: Check-list of North American Birds
Ecological change on California's Channel Islands from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene
Fifty-fifth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds
On the correct name of Icterus bullockii (Passeriformes: Icteridae)
Hybridization among Arctic white-headed gulls (Larus spp.) obscures the genetic legacy of the Pleistocene
Isleria, a new genus of antwren (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)
Testing founder effect speciation: Divergence population genetics of the Spoonbills Platalea regia and Pl. minor (Threskiornithidae, Aves)
Lineage diversification and morphological evolution in a large-scale continental radiation: The neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers (Aves: Furnariidae)
No population genetic structure in a widespread aquatic songbird from the Neotropics
Long-term isolation of a highly mobile seabird on the Galapagos
Lineage diversification and morphological evolution in a large-scale continental radiation: The neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers (aves: furnariidae)
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 55
Morphological divergence in a continental adaptive radiation: South American ovenbirds of the genus Cinclodes
Cinclodes is an ecologically diverse genus of South American passerine birds and represents a case of continental adaptive radiation along multiple axes. We investigated morphological diversification in Cinclodes using a comprehensive set of morphometric measurements of study skins. Principal component analysis identified 2 primary axes of morphological variation: one describing body size and a seAuthorsJonathan A. Rader, Michael E. Dillon, R. Terry Chesser, Pablo Sabat, Carlos Martinez del RioFifty-sixth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union: Check-list of North American Birds
This is the 15th supplement since publication of the 7th edition of the Check-list of North American Birds (American Ornithologists' Union [AOU] 1998). It summarizes decisions made between May 15, 2014, and April 15, 2015, by the AOU's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature - North and Middle America. The Committee has continued to operate in the manner outlined in the 42nd Supplement (AOU 2AuthorsR. Terry Chesser, Richard C. Banks, Kevin J Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irby J. Lovette, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J V Remsen, James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, Kevin WinkerEcological change on California's Channel Islands from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene
Historical ecology is becoming an important focus in conservation biology and offers a promising tool to help guide ecosystem management. Here, we integrate data from multiple disciplines to illuminate the past, present, and future of biodiversity on California's Channel Islands, an archipelago that has undergone a wide range of land-use and ecological changes. Our analysis spans approximately 20,AuthorsTorben C. Rick, T. Scott Sillett, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Courtney A. Hofman, Katherine Ralls, R. Scott Anderson, Christina L. Boser, Todd J. Braje, Daniel R. Cayan, R. Terry Chesser, Paul W. Collins, Jon M. Erlandson, Kate R. Faulkner, Robert C. Fleischer, W. Chris Funk, Russell Galipeau, Ann Huston, Julie King, Lyndal L. Laughrin, Jesus Maldonado, Kathryn McEachern, Daniel R. Muhs, Seth D. Newsome, Leslie Reeder-Myers, Christopher Still, Scott A. MorrisonFifty-fifth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds
This is the 14th supplement since publication of the 7th edition of the Check-list of North American Birds (American Ornithologists' Union [AOU] 1998). It summarizes decisions made between May 15, 2013, and May 15, 2014, by the AOU's Committee on Classification and Nomenclature - North and Middle America. The Committee has continued to operate in the manner outlined in the 42nd Supplement (AOU 200AuthorsR. Terry Chesser, Richard C. Banks, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irby J. Lovette, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, James D. Rising, Douglas F. Stotz, Kevin WinkerOn the correct name of Icterus bullockii (Passeriformes: Icteridae)
William Bullock was an Englishman who owned the Egyptian Hall (also known as the London Museum or Bullock’s Museum) at Piccadilly in London, a museum opened in 1812 to display his collection of antiquities, artifacts, and natural history specimens. Following the sale of Bullock’s collection in 1819, the Egyptian Hall served as an exhibition space. Bullock and his son, William Bullock, Jr., both enAuthorsR. Terry ChesserHybridization among Arctic white-headed gulls (Larus spp.) obscures the genetic legacy of the Pleistocene
We studied the influence of glacial oscillations on the genetic structure of seven species of white-headed gull that breed at high latitudes (Larus argentatus, L. canus, L. glaucescens, L. glaucoides, L. hyperboreus, L. schistisagus, and L. thayeri). We evaluated localities hypothesized as ice-free areas or glacial refugia in other Arctic vertebrates using molecular data from 11 microsatellite locAuthorsSarah A. Sonsthagen, R. Terry Chesser, Douglas A. Bell, Carla J. DoveIsleria, a new genus of antwren (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)
A comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of the family Thamnophilidae indicated that the genus Myrmotherula is not monophyletic. The clade composed of M. guttata and M. hauxwelli is only distantly related to other members of the genus and should be removed from Myrmotherula. The phenotypic distinctiveness of the clade argues against merging it with its sister group Thamnomanes and no generiAuthorsGustavo A. Bravo, R. Terry Chesser, Robb T. BrumfieldTesting founder effect speciation: Divergence population genetics of the Spoonbills Platalea regia and Pl. minor (Threskiornithidae, Aves)
Although founder effect speciation has been a popular theoretical model for the speciation of geographically isolated taxa, its empirical importance has remained difficult to evaluate due to the intractability of past demography, which in a founder effect speciation scenario would involve a speciational bottleneck in the emergent species and the complete cessation of gene flow following divergenceAuthorsCarol K.L. Yeung, Pi-Wen Tsai, R. Terry Chesser, Rong-Chien Lin, Cheng-Te Yao, Xiu-Hua Tian, Shou-Hsien LiLineage diversification and morphological evolution in a large-scale continental radiation: The neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers (Aves: Furnariidae)
Patterns of diversification in species-rich clades provide insight into the processes that generate biological diversity. We tested different models of lineage and phenotypic diversification in an exceptional continental radiation, the ovenbird family Furnariidae, using the most complete species-level phylogenetic hypothesis produced to date for a major avian clade (97% of 293 species). We found tAuthorsElizabeth P. Derryberry, Santiago Claramunt, Graham Derryberry, R. Terry Chesser, Joel Cracraft, Alexandre Aleixo, Jorge Pérez-Emán, J.V. Remsen, Robb T. BrumfieldNo population genetic structure in a widespread aquatic songbird from the Neotropics
Neotropical lowland organisms often show marked population genetic structure, suggesting restricted migration among populations. However, most phylogeographic studies have focused on species inhabiting humid forest interior. Little attention has been devoted to the study of species with ecologies conducive to dispersal, such as those of more open and variable environments associated with watercourAuthorsCarlos Daniel Cadena, Natalia Gutierrez-Pinto, Nicolas Davila, R. Terry ChesserLong-term isolation of a highly mobile seabird on the Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands are renowned for their high degree of endemism. Marine taxa inhabiting the archipelago might be expected to be an exception, because of their utilization of pelagic habitats—the dispersal barrier for terrestrial taxa—as foraging grounds. Magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) have a highly vagile lifestyle and wide geographical distribution around the South and CentraAuthorsFrank Hailer, E.A. Schreiber, Joshua M. Miller, Iris I. Levin, Patricia G. Parker, R. Terry Chesser, Robert C. FleischerLineage diversification and morphological evolution in a large-scale continental radiation: The neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers (aves: furnariidae)
Patterns of diversification in species‐rich clades provide insight into the processes that generate biological diversity. We tested different models of lineage and phenotypic diversification in an exceptional continental radiation, the ovenbird family Furnariidae, using the most complete species‐level phylogenetic hypothesis produced to date for a major avian clade (97% of 293 species). We found tAuthorsE.P. Derryberry, S. Claramunt, G. Derryberry, R.T. Chesser, J. Cracraft, A. Aleixo, J. Perez-Eman, J.V. Remsen, R.T. Brumfield
*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