The USGS Alaska Science Center shorebird research program focuses on studies that improve our knowledge of shorebirds and addresses key questions for management agencies about the distribution and abundance of these species.
Daniel R Ruthrauff, Ph.D.
Reproductive and migration ecology of shorebirds; shorebird population demography
My career in Alaska began in 1996, working as a seasonal technician on various bird studies. Today, my research broadly investigates the biotic and abiotic factors that affect bird populations. My projects primarily focus on shorebirds as study subjects, but I also have extensive experience studying landbirds and waterfowl. My work focuses on documenting the status and distribution of shorebirds, studying the migration ecology of shorebirds, and assessing the reproductive ecology of Alaska-breeding shorebirds. Because most of Alaska's shorebirds are migratory, I collaborate on international efforts on many of these same topics. My current research focuses on the interactive effects of climate change and rapidly expanding goose populations on shorebirds, landbirds, and their breeding habitats in Arctic Alaska.
Professional Experience
2015 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
2002 - 2015 Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
1999 - 2001 Biological Technician, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Bethel, Alaska
1996 - 1999 Biological Technician, U.S. Geological Survey / Alaska Science Center
1995 - 1996 Volunteer Field Assistant, various projects
1995 Groundfish Observer, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska
1991 - 1992 Freshwater Fisheries Extension Agent, United States Peace Corps, Togo, West Africa
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2014 University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Animal Ecology
M.S. 2002 Humboldt State University Arcata, California Wildlife Management
B.A. 1991 University of Colorado, Boulder Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Ornithological Society
Wader Study Group
Science and Products
Shorebird Research
Tracking Data for Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Bird Species Checklists from USGS Alaska Science Center Field Camps
Tracking Data for Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
Geospatial Sampling Information for the Inventory of Montane-nesting Birds in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska, 2001-2003
Data From the Inventory of Breeding Birds in Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alaska, 2008
USGS Alaska Science Center Adult Shorebird Morphological Measurement Data
Juvenile Shorebird Morphological Data Collected in Alaska and Canada
Bird Species Checklists from USGS Alaska Science Center Field Camps
Aerial surveys of shorebirds at pre-migratory staging sites in western Alaska, 2018-2019
Arthropod Abundance Data from the Colville River Delta, Alaska
Environmental Data from the Colville River Delta, Alaska
Avian Demographic Data from the Colville River Delta, Alaska
Body Composition of Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Tracking Data for Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
Goose Mass and Vegetation Data, Colville River Delta, Alaska, 2012-2017
![USGS Alaska Science Center Shorebird Research Program White breasted bird with orange feet, black/brown back, short beak](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/Ruddy_Turnstone_NSlope_7-13-10_Ryan_Askren.jpg?itok=ZHL9NUSw)
The USGS Alaska Science Center shorebird research program focuses on studies that improve our knowledge of shorebirds and addresses key questions for management agencies about the distribution and abundance of these species.
Wing of juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Wing of juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" after capture on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" after capture on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit B4 with a solar-powered satellite tag near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit B4 with a solar-powered satellite tag near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
USGS collaborator Jesse Conklin (Max Planck Institute) tracks juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits near Nome, Alaska. Researchers tracked birds locally using 0.5-gram VHF radios as part of a study to understand the growth and survival of godwit chicks. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S.
USGS collaborator Jesse Conklin (Max Planck Institute) tracks juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits near Nome, Alaska. Researchers tracked birds locally using 0.5-gram VHF radios as part of a study to understand the growth and survival of godwit chicks. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S.
![Juvenile bar-tailed godwit in the hands of a scientist. There is a metal leg band on left leg.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/media/images/Ruthrauff_B6%20bar-tailed%20godwit%2011July2022.jpg?itok=bRoz1mFz)
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" with metal leg band. At this time researchers put a metal band on the chick and glued a small (0.5 gram) VHF transmitter to the bird.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" with metal leg band. At this time researchers put a metal band on the chick and glued a small (0.5 gram) VHF transmitter to the bird.
Bar-tailed godwit habitat on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Bar-tailed godwit habitat on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Group of walruses on beach between Hook and Cinder lagoons on the Alaska Peninsula.
Group of walruses on beach between Hook and Cinder lagoons on the Alaska Peninsula.
![A shorebird walking along the shore](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/PAGP_Big_Creek_8-25-2017_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=OAFLwJwW)
Pacific Golden-Plover on the shore near Big Creek, Alaska.
Pacific Golden-Plover on the shore near Big Creek, Alaska.
![A small shorebird walking along the mud](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/BBPL_Big_Creek_8-25-2017_Dan_Ruthrauff_0.jpg?itok=ZaitRYo6)
Black-bellied Plover on the mud shore of Big Creek, Alaska.
Black-bellied Plover on the mud shore of Big Creek, Alaska.
![A shorebird walking in small rocks on a shore](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/PAGP_Big_Creek_9-17-2016_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=lw-WXUCc)
Pacific Golden-Plover standing on rocks near Big Creek, Alaska.
Pacific Golden-Plover standing on rocks near Big Creek, Alaska.
![Shorebird on the tundra on the north slope of Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/SESA_Chipp_North_6-26-2013_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=cMrkHYsC)
Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska.
Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska.
![A shorebird on a post in Hawaii](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/BTCU_Oahu_HI_12-16-2012_Dan_Ruthrauff_0.jpg?itok=tGOLRzvf)
Bristle-thighed Curlew on a fence post on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Bristle-thighed Curlew on a fence post on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
![A shorebird chick on the tundra of the north slope of Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/WHIM_chick_Colville_7-6-2010_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=gMkyThmQ)
Whimbrel chick on the Colville River Delta, Alaska.
Whimbrel chick on the Colville River Delta, Alaska.
Female Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site along the Colville River, Alaska.
Female Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site along the Colville River, Alaska.
Bob Gill, Jr., is holding a Whimbrel equipped with a solar-powered satellite transmitter. The photo was taken along the Colville River near Nuiqsut, Alaska.
Bob Gill, Jr., is holding a Whimbrel equipped with a solar-powered satellite transmitter. The photo was taken along the Colville River near Nuiqsut, Alaska.
Male Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. USGS and USFWS recently found that almost the entire population of Alaska-breeding bar-tailed godwits feed along sand bars near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River in autumn.
Male Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. USGS and USFWS recently found that almost the entire population of Alaska-breeding bar-tailed godwits feed along sand bars near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River in autumn.
![A nest of shorebird eggs on the tundra of Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/WHIM%20nest_Kanuti_6-8-2009_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=s4an4UYq)
Whimbrel nest in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge.
Whimbrel nest in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge.
![A small bird in a tree with a really curved beak](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/BCCH_in_tree_1-17-2009_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=ayWpol2R)
Black-capped Chickadee with an elongated and decurved maxilla.
Black-capped Chickadee with an elongated and decurved maxilla.
![Bar-tailed Godwits on mudflats near Cape Avinof, Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/Ruthrauff_godwitsCapeAvinof_2008c.jpg?itok=1JrGpmX_)
Bar-tailed Godwits - photo taken on mudflats near Cape Avinof, Alaska, while doing avian influenza sampling.
Bar-tailed Godwits - photo taken on mudflats near Cape Avinof, Alaska, while doing avian influenza sampling.
A circumpolar study unveils a positive non-linear effect of temperature on arctic arthropod availability that may reduce the risk of warming-induced trophic mismatch for breeding shorebirds
Disparate data streams together yield novel survival estimates of Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
The Pacific as the world’s greatest theater of bird migration: Extreme flights spark questions about physiological capabilities, behavior, and the evolution of migratory pathways
Life-history attributes of Arctic-breeding birds drive uneven responses to environmental variability across different phases of the reproductive cycle
Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica in Alaska: Revisiting population estimates from the staging grounds
Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of bar-tailed godwits preparing for trans-pacific flights
Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
Shorebird reproductive response to exceptionally early and late springs varies across sites in Arctic Alaska
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth
Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews
Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation
Science and Products
Shorebird Research
Tracking Data for Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Bird Species Checklists from USGS Alaska Science Center Field Camps
Tracking Data for Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
Geospatial Sampling Information for the Inventory of Montane-nesting Birds in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska, 2001-2003
Data From the Inventory of Breeding Birds in Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alaska, 2008
USGS Alaska Science Center Adult Shorebird Morphological Measurement Data
Juvenile Shorebird Morphological Data Collected in Alaska and Canada
Bird Species Checklists from USGS Alaska Science Center Field Camps
Aerial surveys of shorebirds at pre-migratory staging sites in western Alaska, 2018-2019
Arthropod Abundance Data from the Colville River Delta, Alaska
Environmental Data from the Colville River Delta, Alaska
Avian Demographic Data from the Colville River Delta, Alaska
Body Composition of Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Tracking Data for Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
Goose Mass and Vegetation Data, Colville River Delta, Alaska, 2012-2017
![USGS Alaska Science Center Shorebird Research Program White breasted bird with orange feet, black/brown back, short beak](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/Ruddy_Turnstone_NSlope_7-13-10_Ryan_Askren.jpg?itok=ZHL9NUSw)
The USGS Alaska Science Center shorebird research program focuses on studies that improve our knowledge of shorebirds and addresses key questions for management agencies about the distribution and abundance of these species.
The USGS Alaska Science Center shorebird research program focuses on studies that improve our knowledge of shorebirds and addresses key questions for management agencies about the distribution and abundance of these species.
Wing of juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Wing of juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" after capture on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" after capture on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit B4 with a solar-powered satellite tag near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit B4 with a solar-powered satellite tag near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
USGS collaborator Jesse Conklin (Max Planck Institute) tracks juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits near Nome, Alaska. Researchers tracked birds locally using 0.5-gram VHF radios as part of a study to understand the growth and survival of godwit chicks. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S.
USGS collaborator Jesse Conklin (Max Planck Institute) tracks juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits near Nome, Alaska. Researchers tracked birds locally using 0.5-gram VHF radios as part of a study to understand the growth and survival of godwit chicks. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S.
![Juvenile bar-tailed godwit in the hands of a scientist. There is a metal leg band on left leg.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/media/images/Ruthrauff_B6%20bar-tailed%20godwit%2011July2022.jpg?itok=bRoz1mFz)
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" with metal leg band. At this time researchers put a metal band on the chick and glued a small (0.5 gram) VHF transmitter to the bird.
Juvenile bar-tailed godwit "B6" with metal leg band. At this time researchers put a metal band on the chick and glued a small (0.5 gram) VHF transmitter to the bird.
Bar-tailed godwit habitat on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Bar-tailed godwit habitat on the Seward Peninsula near Nome, Alaska. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a study to track the migration of juvenile (hatch year) bar-tailed godwits from breeding sites near Nome, Alaska.
Group of walruses on beach between Hook and Cinder lagoons on the Alaska Peninsula.
Group of walruses on beach between Hook and Cinder lagoons on the Alaska Peninsula.
![A shorebird walking along the shore](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/PAGP_Big_Creek_8-25-2017_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=OAFLwJwW)
Pacific Golden-Plover on the shore near Big Creek, Alaska.
Pacific Golden-Plover on the shore near Big Creek, Alaska.
![A small shorebird walking along the mud](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/BBPL_Big_Creek_8-25-2017_Dan_Ruthrauff_0.jpg?itok=ZaitRYo6)
Black-bellied Plover on the mud shore of Big Creek, Alaska.
Black-bellied Plover on the mud shore of Big Creek, Alaska.
![A shorebird walking in small rocks on a shore](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/PAGP_Big_Creek_9-17-2016_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=lw-WXUCc)
Pacific Golden-Plover standing on rocks near Big Creek, Alaska.
Pacific Golden-Plover standing on rocks near Big Creek, Alaska.
![Shorebird on the tundra on the north slope of Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/SESA_Chipp_North_6-26-2013_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=cMrkHYsC)
Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska.
Semipalmated Sandpiper on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska.
![A shorebird on a post in Hawaii](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/BTCU_Oahu_HI_12-16-2012_Dan_Ruthrauff_0.jpg?itok=tGOLRzvf)
Bristle-thighed Curlew on a fence post on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Bristle-thighed Curlew on a fence post on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
![A shorebird chick on the tundra of the north slope of Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/WHIM_chick_Colville_7-6-2010_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=gMkyThmQ)
Whimbrel chick on the Colville River Delta, Alaska.
Whimbrel chick on the Colville River Delta, Alaska.
Female Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site along the Colville River, Alaska.
Female Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site along the Colville River, Alaska.
Bob Gill, Jr., is holding a Whimbrel equipped with a solar-powered satellite transmitter. The photo was taken along the Colville River near Nuiqsut, Alaska.
Bob Gill, Jr., is holding a Whimbrel equipped with a solar-powered satellite transmitter. The photo was taken along the Colville River near Nuiqsut, Alaska.
Male Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. USGS and USFWS recently found that almost the entire population of Alaska-breeding bar-tailed godwits feed along sand bars near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River in autumn.
Male Bar-tailed Godwit at a breeding site near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. USGS and USFWS recently found that almost the entire population of Alaska-breeding bar-tailed godwits feed along sand bars near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River in autumn.
![A nest of shorebird eggs on the tundra of Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/WHIM%20nest_Kanuti_6-8-2009_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=s4an4UYq)
Whimbrel nest in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge.
Whimbrel nest in the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge.
![A small bird in a tree with a really curved beak](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/BCCH_in_tree_1-17-2009_Dan_Ruthrauff.jpg?itok=ayWpol2R)
Black-capped Chickadee with an elongated and decurved maxilla.
Black-capped Chickadee with an elongated and decurved maxilla.
![Bar-tailed Godwits on mudflats near Cape Avinof, Alaska](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/Ruthrauff_godwitsCapeAvinof_2008c.jpg?itok=1JrGpmX_)
Bar-tailed Godwits - photo taken on mudflats near Cape Avinof, Alaska, while doing avian influenza sampling.
Bar-tailed Godwits - photo taken on mudflats near Cape Avinof, Alaska, while doing avian influenza sampling.
A circumpolar study unveils a positive non-linear effect of temperature on arctic arthropod availability that may reduce the risk of warming-induced trophic mismatch for breeding shorebirds
Disparate data streams together yield novel survival estimates of Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
The Pacific as the world’s greatest theater of bird migration: Extreme flights spark questions about physiological capabilities, behavior, and the evolution of migratory pathways
Life-history attributes of Arctic-breeding birds drive uneven responses to environmental variability across different phases of the reproductive cycle
Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica in Alaska: Revisiting population estimates from the staging grounds
Physiomorphic transformation in extreme endurance migrants: Revisiting the case of bar-tailed godwits preparing for trans-pacific flights
Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
Shorebird reproductive response to exceptionally early and late springs varies across sites in Arctic Alaska
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth
Factors promoting the recolonization of Oahu, Hawaii, by Bristle-thighed Curlews
Shorebird subsistence harvest and indigenous knowledge in Alaska: Informing harvest assessment and management, and engaging users in shorebird conservation
*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