Garth Herring
I am an Avian Ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Corvallis, Oregon. My research focuses on identifying and understanding environmental threats primarily to avian populations and providing sound scientific research to implement conservation solutions.
My work focuses on understanding the physiological responses of wildlife to environmental contaminants and landscape-scale stressors. I specialize in field-based ecological studies to assess the impacts of stressors (lead, mercury, prey availability, rodenticides) on the behavior and reproduction of avian species. Additionally, my laboratory-based studies examine the physiological responses of a variety of wildlife (birds, amphibians, and fishes) to a wide array of environmental contaminants.
Professional Experience
2012 – Present: Ecologist, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR
2008–2012: Post-doctoral Research Scholar, University of California, Davis & USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Davis, CA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Integrative Biology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL (2008)
M.S., Fisheries & Wildlife Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (2003)
B.S., Environmental Science, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada (1999)
Affiliations and Memberships*
2019-2022: Associate Editor, Avian Research
2014-2016: Associate Editor, Journal of Wildlife Management
2012-2015: Associate Editor, Wetlands
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 38
Testing assumptions for conservation of migratory shorebirds and coastal managed wetlands
Managed wetlands provide critical foraging and roosting habitats for shorebirds during migration; therefore, ensuring their availability is a priority action in shorebird conservation plans. Contemporary shorebird conservation plans rely on a number of assumptions about shorebird prey resources and migratory behavior to determine stopover habitat requirements. For example, the US...
Authors
Jaime A. Collazo, James E. Lyons, Garth Herring
Mercury and selenium contamination in waterbird eggs and risk to avian reproduction at Great Salt Lake, Utah
The wetlands of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem are recognized regionally, nationally, and hemispherically for their importance as breeding, wintering, and migratory habitat for diverse groups of waterbirds. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and provides critical breeding habitat for more than 60 bird species. However, the...
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman, John Isanhart, Garth Herring, Sharon Vaughn, John F. Cavitt, Collin Eagles-Smith, Howard Browers, Chris Cline, Josh L. Vest
Mercury in birds of San Francisco Bay-Delta, California: trophic pathways, bioaccumulation, and ecotoxicological risk to avian reproduction
San Francisco Bay Estuary in northern California has a legacy of mercury contamination, which could reduce the health and reproductive success of waterbirds in the estuary. The goal of this study was to use an integrated field and laboratory approach to evaluate the risks of mercury exposure to birds in the estuary. We examined mercury bioaccumulation, and other contaminants of concern...
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Collin Eagles-Smith, Gary Heinz, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, John Y. Takekawa, A. Keith Miles, Terrence L. Adelsbach, Mark P. Herzog, Jill D. Bluso-Demers, Scott A. Demers, Garth Herring, David J. Hoffman, C. Alex Hartman, James J. Willacker, Tom Suchanek, Steven E. Schwarzbach, Thomas C. Maurer
Physiological condition of juvenile wading birds in relation to multiple landscape stressors in the Florida Everglades: effects of hydrology, prey availability, and mercury bioaccumulation
The physiological condition of juvenile birds can be influenced by multiple ecological stressors, and few studies have concurrently considered the effects of environmental contaminants in combination with ecological attributes that can influence foraging conditions and prey availability. Using three temporally distinct indices of physiological condition, we compared the physiological...
Authors
Garth Herring, Collin Eagles-Smith, Dale E. Gawlik, James M. Beerens, Josh T. Ackerman
The persistent problem of lead poisoning in birds from ammunition and fishing tackle
Lead (Pb) is a metabolic poison that can negatively influence biological processes, leading to illness and mortality across a large spectrum of North American avifauna (>120 species) and other organisms. Pb poisoning can result from numerous sources, including ingestion of bullet fragments and shot pellets left in animal carcasses, spent ammunition left in the field, lost fishing tackle...
Authors
Susan M. Haig, Jesse D'Elia, Collin Eagles-Smith, Jeanne M. Fair, Jennifer Gervais, Garth Herring, James W. Rivers, John H. Schulz
Forster's tern chick survival in response to a managed relocation of predatory California gulls
Gull populations can severely limit the productivity of waterbirds. Relocating gull colonies may reduce their effects on nearby breeding waterbirds, but there are few examples of this management strategy. We examined gull predation and survival of Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) chicks before (2010) and after (2011) the managed relocation of the largest California gull (Larus...
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman, Garth Herring
Non-USGS Publications**
Lyons, J.E., Collazo, J.A., Herring, G., 2015, Testing assumptions for conservation of migratory shorebirds and coastal managed wetlands: Wetlands Ecology Management, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9477-4.
Ackerman, J.T., Herzog, M., Hartman, C.A., Herring, G., 2014, Forster’s tern chick survival in response to a managed relocation of predatory California gulls: The Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 78, no. 5, p. 818-829, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.728.
Hartman, C.A., Ackerman, J.T., Herring, G., Isanhart, J., Herzog, M., 2013, Marsh wrens as bioindicators of mercury in wetlands of Great Salt Lake- do blood and feathers reflect site-specific exposure risk to bird reproduction?: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 47, no. 12, p. 6597-6605, https://doi.org/10.1021/es400910x.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Herzog, M.P., 2012, Mercury exposure may suppress baseline corticosterone levels in juvenile birds: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 46, p. 6339-6346.
Hill, N.J., Takekawa, J.Y., Ackerman, J.T., Hobson, K.A., Herring, G., Cardona, C.J., Runstadler, J.A., Boyce, W.M., 2012, Migration strategy affects avian influenza dynamics in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos): Molecular Ecology, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05735.x.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., 2011, California gull chicks raised near colony edges have elevated stress levels: General and Comparative Endocrinology, v. 173, p. 72-77.
Herring, G., Herring, H.K., Gawlik, D.E., 2015, Social Cues and Environmental Conditions Influence Foraging Flight Distances of Breeding Wood Storks (Mycteria americana): Waterbirds, v. 38, no. 1, p. 30-39, https://doi.org/10.1675/063.038.0105.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Takekawa, J.Y., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Eadie, J.M., 2011, Identifying nest predators of American avocets (Recurvirostra americana) and black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) in San Francisco Bay, California: Southwestern Naturalist, v. 56, no. 1, p. 35-43.
Beerens, J.M., Gawlik, D.E., Herring, G., Cook, M.I., 2011, Dynamic habitat selection by two wading bird species with divergent foraging strategies in a seasonally fluctuating wetland: Auk, v. 128, p. 651-662.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Adelsbach, T.L., Melancon, M.J., Stebbins, K.R., Hoffman, D.J., 2010, Organochlorine and PBDE concentrations in relation to cytochrome P450 activity in livers of Forster's terns (Sterna forsteri)and Caspian terns(Hydroprogne caspia),in San Francisco Bay, California: Sm, v. 58, p. 863-873.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Takekawa, J.Y., 2010, Sexing California gulls using morphometrics and discriminant function analysis: Waterbirds, v. 33, no. 1, p. 79-85.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2009, Site characteristics and prey abundance at foraging sites used by lesser scaup (Aythya affinis)wintering in Florida: Southeastern Naturalist, v. 8, p. 363-374.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2012, Differential physiological responses to prey availability by the great egret and white ibis: Journal of Wildlife Management, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.445.
Dorn, N.J., Cook, M.I., Herring, G., Boyle, R.A., Nelson, J., Gawlik, D.E., 2011, Aquatic prey switching and urban foraging by the white ibis Eudocimus albusare determined by wetland hydrological conditions: Ibis, v. 153, p. 323-335.
Herring, G., Cook, M.I., Gawlik, D.E., Call, E.M., 2011, Food availability is expressed through physiological stress indicators in nestling white ibis- a food supplementation experiment: Functional Ecology, v. 25, p. 682-690.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2010, Avian radio-transmitter harness wear and failure: Southeastern Naturalist, v. 9, p. 595-604.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Eagles-Smith, C.A., 2010, Embryo malposition as a potential mechanism for mercury-induced hatching failure in bird eggs: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, v. 29, no. 8, p. 1788-1794.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Cook, M.I., Beerens, J.M., 2010, Sensitivity of nesting great egrets (Ardea alba)and white ibises(Eudocimus albus)to reduced prey availability: Auk, v. 127, p. 660-670.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Rumbold, D.G., 2009, Feather mercury concentrations and physiological condition of great egret and white ibis nestlings in the Florida Everglades: Science of the Total Environment, v. 407, p. 2641-2649.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2009, Stability of avian fecal corticosterone metabolite levels in frozen avian feces: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 73, p. 1010-1013.
Dorn, N.J., Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2008, Estimation of crayfish abundance and size-structure in diets of white ibis chicks: Waterbirds, v. 31, p. 417-423.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Beerens, J.M., 2008, Evaluating two new methods for capturing large wetland birds: Journal of Field Ornithology, v. 79, p. 102-110.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2008, Potential for successful population establishment of the nonindigenous sacred ibis in the Florida Everglades: Biological Invasions, v. 10, p. 969-976.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Beerens, J.M., 2008, Sex determination for the great egret and white ibis: Waterbirds, v. 31, p. 298-303.
Marx, D.E., Hejl, S.J., Herring, G., 2008, Wintering grassland bird habitat selection following summer prescribed fire in a Texas Gulf Coast tallgrass prairie: Fire Ecology Special Issue, v. 4, no. 2, p. 46-62.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2007, The role of stress proteins in the study of allostatic overload in birds- Use and applicability to current studies in avian ecology: The Scientific World Journal, v. 7, p. 1596-1602.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2006, Lesser scaup winter foraging and nutrient reserve acquisition in east-central Florida: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 70, p. 1682-1689.
Rivera-Milan, F.F., Collazo, J.A., Stahala, C., Moore, W.J., Davis, A., Herring, G., Steinkamp, M., Pagliaro, R., Thompson, J.L., Bracey, W., 2005, Estimation of density and population size and recommendations for monitoring trends of Bahama parrots on Great Abaco and Great Inagua: Wildlife Society Bulletin, v. 33, p. 823-834.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2005, Habitat use, movements, and home range of wintering lesser scaup in Florida: Waterbirds, v. 28, p. 71-78.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2004, Winter survival of lesser scaup in east-central Florida: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 68, p. 1082-1087.
Knapton, R.W., Petrie, S.A., Herring, G., 2000, Human disturbance of diving ducks on Long Point Bay, Lake Erie: Wildlife Society Bulletin, v. 28, p. 923-930.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 38
Testing assumptions for conservation of migratory shorebirds and coastal managed wetlands
Managed wetlands provide critical foraging and roosting habitats for shorebirds during migration; therefore, ensuring their availability is a priority action in shorebird conservation plans. Contemporary shorebird conservation plans rely on a number of assumptions about shorebird prey resources and migratory behavior to determine stopover habitat requirements. For example, the US...
Authors
Jaime A. Collazo, James E. Lyons, Garth Herring
Mercury and selenium contamination in waterbird eggs and risk to avian reproduction at Great Salt Lake, Utah
The wetlands of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem are recognized regionally, nationally, and hemispherically for their importance as breeding, wintering, and migratory habitat for diverse groups of waterbirds. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and provides critical breeding habitat for more than 60 bird species. However, the...
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman, John Isanhart, Garth Herring, Sharon Vaughn, John F. Cavitt, Collin Eagles-Smith, Howard Browers, Chris Cline, Josh L. Vest
Mercury in birds of San Francisco Bay-Delta, California: trophic pathways, bioaccumulation, and ecotoxicological risk to avian reproduction
San Francisco Bay Estuary in northern California has a legacy of mercury contamination, which could reduce the health and reproductive success of waterbirds in the estuary. The goal of this study was to use an integrated field and laboratory approach to evaluate the risks of mercury exposure to birds in the estuary. We examined mercury bioaccumulation, and other contaminants of concern...
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Collin Eagles-Smith, Gary Heinz, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, John Y. Takekawa, A. Keith Miles, Terrence L. Adelsbach, Mark P. Herzog, Jill D. Bluso-Demers, Scott A. Demers, Garth Herring, David J. Hoffman, C. Alex Hartman, James J. Willacker, Tom Suchanek, Steven E. Schwarzbach, Thomas C. Maurer
Physiological condition of juvenile wading birds in relation to multiple landscape stressors in the Florida Everglades: effects of hydrology, prey availability, and mercury bioaccumulation
The physiological condition of juvenile birds can be influenced by multiple ecological stressors, and few studies have concurrently considered the effects of environmental contaminants in combination with ecological attributes that can influence foraging conditions and prey availability. Using three temporally distinct indices of physiological condition, we compared the physiological...
Authors
Garth Herring, Collin Eagles-Smith, Dale E. Gawlik, James M. Beerens, Josh T. Ackerman
The persistent problem of lead poisoning in birds from ammunition and fishing tackle
Lead (Pb) is a metabolic poison that can negatively influence biological processes, leading to illness and mortality across a large spectrum of North American avifauna (>120 species) and other organisms. Pb poisoning can result from numerous sources, including ingestion of bullet fragments and shot pellets left in animal carcasses, spent ammunition left in the field, lost fishing tackle...
Authors
Susan M. Haig, Jesse D'Elia, Collin Eagles-Smith, Jeanne M. Fair, Jennifer Gervais, Garth Herring, James W. Rivers, John H. Schulz
Forster's tern chick survival in response to a managed relocation of predatory California gulls
Gull populations can severely limit the productivity of waterbirds. Relocating gull colonies may reduce their effects on nearby breeding waterbirds, but there are few examples of this management strategy. We examined gull predation and survival of Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) chicks before (2010) and after (2011) the managed relocation of the largest California gull (Larus...
Authors
Josh T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman, Garth Herring
Non-USGS Publications**
Lyons, J.E., Collazo, J.A., Herring, G., 2015, Testing assumptions for conservation of migratory shorebirds and coastal managed wetlands: Wetlands Ecology Management, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9477-4.
Ackerman, J.T., Herzog, M., Hartman, C.A., Herring, G., 2014, Forster’s tern chick survival in response to a managed relocation of predatory California gulls: The Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 78, no. 5, p. 818-829, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.728.
Hartman, C.A., Ackerman, J.T., Herring, G., Isanhart, J., Herzog, M., 2013, Marsh wrens as bioindicators of mercury in wetlands of Great Salt Lake- do blood and feathers reflect site-specific exposure risk to bird reproduction?: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 47, no. 12, p. 6597-6605, https://doi.org/10.1021/es400910x.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Herzog, M.P., 2012, Mercury exposure may suppress baseline corticosterone levels in juvenile birds: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 46, p. 6339-6346.
Hill, N.J., Takekawa, J.Y., Ackerman, J.T., Hobson, K.A., Herring, G., Cardona, C.J., Runstadler, J.A., Boyce, W.M., 2012, Migration strategy affects avian influenza dynamics in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos): Molecular Ecology, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05735.x.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., 2011, California gull chicks raised near colony edges have elevated stress levels: General and Comparative Endocrinology, v. 173, p. 72-77.
Herring, G., Herring, H.K., Gawlik, D.E., 2015, Social Cues and Environmental Conditions Influence Foraging Flight Distances of Breeding Wood Storks (Mycteria americana): Waterbirds, v. 38, no. 1, p. 30-39, https://doi.org/10.1675/063.038.0105.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Takekawa, J.Y., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Eadie, J.M., 2011, Identifying nest predators of American avocets (Recurvirostra americana) and black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) in San Francisco Bay, California: Southwestern Naturalist, v. 56, no. 1, p. 35-43.
Beerens, J.M., Gawlik, D.E., Herring, G., Cook, M.I., 2011, Dynamic habitat selection by two wading bird species with divergent foraging strategies in a seasonally fluctuating wetland: Auk, v. 128, p. 651-662.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Adelsbach, T.L., Melancon, M.J., Stebbins, K.R., Hoffman, D.J., 2010, Organochlorine and PBDE concentrations in relation to cytochrome P450 activity in livers of Forster's terns (Sterna forsteri)and Caspian terns(Hydroprogne caspia),in San Francisco Bay, California: Sm, v. 58, p. 863-873.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Takekawa, J.Y., 2010, Sexing California gulls using morphometrics and discriminant function analysis: Waterbirds, v. 33, no. 1, p. 79-85.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2009, Site characteristics and prey abundance at foraging sites used by lesser scaup (Aythya affinis)wintering in Florida: Southeastern Naturalist, v. 8, p. 363-374.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2012, Differential physiological responses to prey availability by the great egret and white ibis: Journal of Wildlife Management, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.445.
Dorn, N.J., Cook, M.I., Herring, G., Boyle, R.A., Nelson, J., Gawlik, D.E., 2011, Aquatic prey switching and urban foraging by the white ibis Eudocimus albusare determined by wetland hydrological conditions: Ibis, v. 153, p. 323-335.
Herring, G., Cook, M.I., Gawlik, D.E., Call, E.M., 2011, Food availability is expressed through physiological stress indicators in nestling white ibis- a food supplementation experiment: Functional Ecology, v. 25, p. 682-690.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2010, Avian radio-transmitter harness wear and failure: Southeastern Naturalist, v. 9, p. 595-604.
Herring, G., Ackerman, J.T., Eagles-Smith, C.A., 2010, Embryo malposition as a potential mechanism for mercury-induced hatching failure in bird eggs: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, v. 29, no. 8, p. 1788-1794.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Cook, M.I., Beerens, J.M., 2010, Sensitivity of nesting great egrets (Ardea alba)and white ibises(Eudocimus albus)to reduced prey availability: Auk, v. 127, p. 660-670.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Rumbold, D.G., 2009, Feather mercury concentrations and physiological condition of great egret and white ibis nestlings in the Florida Everglades: Science of the Total Environment, v. 407, p. 2641-2649.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2009, Stability of avian fecal corticosterone metabolite levels in frozen avian feces: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 73, p. 1010-1013.
Dorn, N.J., Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2008, Estimation of crayfish abundance and size-structure in diets of white ibis chicks: Waterbirds, v. 31, p. 417-423.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Beerens, J.M., 2008, Evaluating two new methods for capturing large wetland birds: Journal of Field Ornithology, v. 79, p. 102-110.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2008, Potential for successful population establishment of the nonindigenous sacred ibis in the Florida Everglades: Biological Invasions, v. 10, p. 969-976.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., Beerens, J.M., 2008, Sex determination for the great egret and white ibis: Waterbirds, v. 31, p. 298-303.
Marx, D.E., Hejl, S.J., Herring, G., 2008, Wintering grassland bird habitat selection following summer prescribed fire in a Texas Gulf Coast tallgrass prairie: Fire Ecology Special Issue, v. 4, no. 2, p. 46-62.
Herring, G., Gawlik, D.E., 2007, The role of stress proteins in the study of allostatic overload in birds- Use and applicability to current studies in avian ecology: The Scientific World Journal, v. 7, p. 1596-1602.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2006, Lesser scaup winter foraging and nutrient reserve acquisition in east-central Florida: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 70, p. 1682-1689.
Rivera-Milan, F.F., Collazo, J.A., Stahala, C., Moore, W.J., Davis, A., Herring, G., Steinkamp, M., Pagliaro, R., Thompson, J.L., Bracey, W., 2005, Estimation of density and population size and recommendations for monitoring trends of Bahama parrots on Great Abaco and Great Inagua: Wildlife Society Bulletin, v. 33, p. 823-834.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2005, Habitat use, movements, and home range of wintering lesser scaup in Florida: Waterbirds, v. 28, p. 71-78.
Herring, G., Collazo, J.A., 2004, Winter survival of lesser scaup in east-central Florida: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 68, p. 1082-1087.
Knapton, R.W., Petrie, S.A., Herring, G., 2000, Human disturbance of diving ducks on Long Point Bay, Lake Erie: Wildlife Society Bulletin, v. 28, p. 923-930.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*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