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TJ Zenzal is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
My research interests include the movement and behavioral ecology of wildlife, particularly birds, with an emphasis on conservation. My research integrates traditional field methods (e.g., bird banding, surveys) with technological advancements (e.g., radio telemetry, weather surveillance radar, isotopes, RFID) to better understand the ecology of avian species as they face severe weather events, habitat/land use change, climate change, and the migratory journey. My dissertation work focused on the stopover ecology of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird in coastal Alabama. My post-doctoral work focused on 1) the integration of weather surveillance radar and traditional field methods to determine how landbirds use stopover habitat as well as react to hurricanes along the Northern Gulf Coast during migration, and 2) the use of wetland habitat created via drainage water management by shorebirds in the mid-West.
Education
Ph.D., Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi
B.S., Environmental Science, University of Scranton
Background
2019-Present: Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (formerly National Wetland Research Center), Lafayette, LA, USA
2017-2019: Research Scientist, School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
2017: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Avian Ecology, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
2016: Visiting Scholar, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
2016-2017: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Radar Ornithology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
2009-2016: Ph.D. Biological Sciences; NSF GK-12 Teaching Fellow/Graduate Teaching Assistant/Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
2008-2009: Various avian field technician positions
2005-2008: B.S. Environmental Science, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA
Map of the western United States illustrating lands under BLM management as well as locations of Next Generation Weather Surveillance Radars (NEXRAD Stations) and Motus Wildlife Tracking Network stations (Motus Stations) that will be leveraged to understand migratory bird movements and distributions.
Map of the western United States illustrating lands under BLM management as well as locations of Next Generation Weather Surveillance Radars (NEXRAD Stations) and Motus Wildlife Tracking Network stations (Motus Stations) that will be leveraged to understand migratory bird movements and distributions.
USGS scientists install a remote Motus Wildlife Tracking System on Santa Catalina Island off southern California. Motus is an international collaborative network that uses coordinated, automated radio‐telemetry stations to study movements of small flying organisms, including landbirds and bats.
USGS scientists install a remote Motus Wildlife Tracking System on Santa Catalina Island off southern California. Motus is an international collaborative network that uses coordinated, automated radio‐telemetry stations to study movements of small flying organisms, including landbirds and bats.
Radar data provides information on the largescale distribution and habitat use of birds as they stop to rest and refuel during their migratory journeys. The map shows the mean bird stopover density during spring 2025 at the FDX radar at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
Radar data provides information on the largescale distribution and habitat use of birds as they stop to rest and refuel during their migratory journeys. The map shows the mean bird stopover density during spring 2025 at the FDX radar at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
Map of the western United States illustrating lands under BLM management as well as locations of Next Generation Weather Surveillance Radars (NEXRAD Stations) and Motus Wildlife Tracking Network stations (Motus Stations) that will be leveraged to understand migratory bird movements and distributions.
Map of the western United States illustrating lands under BLM management as well as locations of Next Generation Weather Surveillance Radars (NEXRAD Stations) and Motus Wildlife Tracking Network stations (Motus Stations) that will be leveraged to understand migratory bird movements and distributions.
USGS scientists install a remote Motus Wildlife Tracking System on Santa Catalina Island off southern California. Motus is an international collaborative network that uses coordinated, automated radio‐telemetry stations to study movements of small flying organisms, including landbirds and bats.
USGS scientists install a remote Motus Wildlife Tracking System on Santa Catalina Island off southern California. Motus is an international collaborative network that uses coordinated, automated radio‐telemetry stations to study movements of small flying organisms, including landbirds and bats.
Radar data provides information on the largescale distribution and habitat use of birds as they stop to rest and refuel during their migratory journeys. The map shows the mean bird stopover density during spring 2025 at the FDX radar at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
Radar data provides information on the largescale distribution and habitat use of birds as they stop to rest and refuel during their migratory journeys. The map shows the mean bird stopover density during spring 2025 at the FDX radar at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.