Predator Driven Behavior in Forest Birds

A group of six hikers walking through a grassy meadow towards a forest of tall evergreen trees under a clear blue sky.

Predator Driven Behavior in Forest Birds

Mentor & Lab: Ari Martinez – Forest Fear Lab

Positions: 1 intern

Tentative dates: June 23rd to August 29th 2025

Project Location: Multiple locations possible – High Sierras, UCSC Main Campus, Elkhart Slough, UC Reserve System

Project Background: Predation plays an important role in an animal’s decision-making process of where to forage and when to flee. In the Martinez lab, we study the causes and consequences of predator-driven behavior in birds. Santa Cruz and surrounding areas are a great system for studying just this. The lab focuses primarily on mixed-species flocks of songbirds and how they communicate information about potential risks to flock members and how this information changes along natural and unnatural habitat disturbance gradients, for example, wildfires (natural) and logging (unnatural). Projects will be centered around this general theme and may include performing experimental trials, sound analysis, literature review, and data analysis.

Intern duties: Interns will be expected to work several hours at a time in the field starting early morning (often before sunrise). Their work will include data collection, performing experimental trials, learning local bird ID by sight and sound, and using data to create final projects or posters for the Fall Symposium.

Intern qualifications: Strong natural history expertise with birds (sound and visual ID) is important for the collection of observational and experimental data.

Do you recommend the intern(s) volunteer in your lab during Spring quarter?
Yes.