D. James Mountjoy

Associate Professor of Biology

General Interests
Function of song repertoires in Yellow-throated Vireos, including field work in Costa Rica on song variation in woodcreepers and song-sharing in White-breasted Wood-Wrens; comparative analyses of song repertoires in varied avian taxa.

Function of song repertoires and extended song learning in Red-eyed Vireos; comparative analyses of the evolution of song repertoire size in the genus Vireo.

Years at Knox: 2001 to present

Education
Ph.D., Biology, 1994, McGill University.
M.S., Biology, 1982, Queen's University.
B.S., Zoology, 1982, University of Guelph-Ontario.

Teaching Interests
Populations, vertebrate anatomy, behavioral ecology

Recent Recognition
Grants
Franklin & Marshall Faculty Research Grant-Song Variation in Woodcreepers, 2000.

Fellowships
Hackman Fellowships for undergraduate research assistants, 1999, 2000.

Recent Accomplishments
Publications
"Family Bombycillidae (Waxwings)." Edited by J. In del Hoyo, A. Elliott and D.A. Christie. Handbook of the Birds of the World 10 (2005).

"Diving ducks: A field study of benthic and piscivorous foragers." Co-authored with Jennifer J. Templeton. Exploring Animal Behavior in Laboratory and Field. Edited by B.J. Ploger and K. Yasukawa, Academic Press. In press.

"Vireo song repertoires and migratory distance: three sexual selection hypotheses fail to explain the correlation." Co-authored with Daniel W. Leger. Behavioral Ecology 12 (2001): 98-102.

Presentations
"Song Repertoires and Singing Patterns in the Red-Eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus." With D. Racke, Animal Behavior Society, Snowbird, Utah.

"Song as a Quality Indicator in Indigo Buntings." With J. Wilcox and J. MacDonald, International Behavioural Ecology Congress, Tours, France.

"The Evolution of Complexity in Bird Song." Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois.

Campus & Community Involvement
Member, International Society for Behavioral Ecology.
Member, Animal Behavior Society.
Member, American Ornithologists' Union.
Reviewer, Behavioral Ecology.
Reviewer, Animal Behavior.
Reviewer, The Auk.
Reviewer, Behavior.
Reviewer, Journal of Avian Biology.
Reviewer, Bird Behavior.
Reviewer, The Journal of Comparative Psychology.

Holder, Master-personal bird-banding permits.

Contact
309-341-7086
jmountjo@knox.edu