King, David
Adjunct Associate Professor/ Research Wildlife Biologist
USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Amherst
Areas of specialization:
Forest Wildlife Management
Research Description:
I study wildlife ecology and conservation, particularly in relation to habitat management. Neotropical migrant birds are my specialty; however I also work with other taxa. I have studied the effect of silviculture and roads on the abundance and fitness of mature forest birds, however more recently I have focused on scrub-shrub birds. This work includes studies on the use of silviculture, rights-of-way maintenance, and wildlife openings for the creation and maintenance of habitat for scrub-shrub birds, as well as the effects of fire and fuels reduction in pitch pine-scrub oak forests. Most studies include measurements of fitness in addition to abundance, such as nesting success, fecundity, body condition, and adult and fledgling survival. I have also worked on the ecology of Neotropical migrants during the post-fledging period, using both standardized mist-netting and radio-telemetry. I have worked extensively in the tropics on wintering Neotropical migrants in Mexico and Central America.
Selected Recent Grants:
Migratory bird conservation using alternative coffee cultivation and processing methodologies, 2006, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, $137,000.
Assessing the benefits of conservation practices for scrub-shrub birds in New England , 2006, Natural Resources Conservation Service, $117,000.
Effects of recreation and other factors on birds in montane boreal forests of New Hampshire, 2006-2007, White Mountain National Forest , $58,000.
Assessment of distribution and reproductive success of breeding birds on maintained wildlife openings, 2003-2006, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife, $90,000.
A biodiversity assessment of allspice cultivation in Nicaragua , 2000, World Bank, $153,940.
Selected Recent Publications:
King, D. I. , M. D. Hernandez-Mayorga, R. Trubey, R. Raudales, and J. H. Rappole. In Press . An evaluation of the contribution of cultivated allspice ( Pimenta Dioca ) to vertebrate biodiversity conservation in Nicaragua . Biodiversity and Conservation.
King, D. I. , R. M. DeGraaf, M. L. Smith, and J. Buonaccorsi. 2006. Habitat selection and habitat-specific survival of fledgling Ovenbirds. Journal of Zoology 269: 414–421.
King, D. I. , and R. M. DeGraaf. 2006. Predators at bird nests in a northern hardwood forest in New Hampshire. Journal of Field Ornithology 77:239–243.
King, D. I. and B. E. Byers. 2002. An evaluation of powerline rights-of-way as habitat for early-successional shrubland birds. Wildlife Society Bulletin 30:868-874.
Rappole, J. H., D. I. King, and J. Diez. 2003. Winter versus breeding habitat limitation for an endangered avian migrant. Ecological Applications 13:735-742.
King, D. I. and R. M DeGraaf. 2002. The effect of forest roads on the reproductive success of forest passerine birds. Forest Science 48:391-396.
King, D. I. R. M. DeGraaf and C. R. Griffin. 2001. Productivity of early-successional shrubland birds in clearcuts and groupcuts in an eastern deciduous forest. Journal of Wildlife Management 65:345-350.
Current Student Research Projects:
Shrubland bird review and synthesis, New England , Scott Schlossberg, Postdoctoral.
Wintering migrants, Costa Rica , Richard Chandler, PhD.
Recreation and birds, New Hamsphire, Bill DeLuca, PhD.
Whippoorwill diet and habitat use, Massachusetts , Ross Garlapow, MS.
Migratory stopover habitat quality, Massachusetts , Michelle Labbe, MS.
Managing and monitoring Shrubland birds, Connecticut , Ben Mazzei, MS.
Last updated July 17, 2009 by Roxann Cormier
