Glenn Olsen, Ph.D.
Glenn is the Veterinary Medical Officer at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.
Captive Wildlife Health Program
- Developed vaccination programs for West Nile virus and aspergillosis for captive wildlife
- Veterinarian member of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under the Animal Welfare Act
- Treat a variety of wildlife species, mostly avian and reptile for illness and injuries
- Co-located on National Wildlife Refuge, run rehabilitation program for injured and ill wildlife brought in from the refuge
Sea Duck Research Program
- Developed and continually refine and update surgical techniques for implanting transmitters in diving ducks
- Developed techniques for sedating birds to test hearing for ABRs both in air and under water
- Testing pentosodine as a technique for aging long-lived sea ducks
Crane Research Program
- Developed health network to support ultralight led migrations of whooping cranes
- Developed techniques for parent-rearing whooping cranes for release in Wisconsin
- Conducted 5 years of released of parent-reared whooping cranes in Wisconsin
- Conducted vaccination and challenge studies in a BSL-3 laboratory setting for West Nile virus in cranes
- Conducted vaccination and challenge studies for a coccidia vaccination in cranes and endangered masked bobwhite quail
Professional Experience
2020-present USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center
1996-2020 USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
1994-1996 National Biological Survey
1987-1994 US Fish and Wildlife Service, Technical Services Branch, Refuge Management Branch at Patuxent Research Refuge
1983-1987 Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine
Education and Certifications
PhD Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of Massachusetts
MS Wildlife Biology, University of Massachusetts
DVM University of Illinois
BS Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois
Affiliations and Memberships*
Association of Avian Veterinarians
North American Crane Working Group
Wildlife Disease Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 120
Decision analysis for conservation breeding: Maximizing production for reintroduction of whooping cranes
Captive breeding is key to management of severely endangered species, but maximizing captive production can be challenging because of poor knowledge of species breeding biology and the complexity of evaluating different management options. In the face of uncertainty and complexity, decision-analytic approaches can be used to identify optimal management options for maximizing captive...
Authors
Des H.V. Smith, Sarah J. Converse, Keith Gibson, Axel Moehrenschlager, William A. Link, Glenn H. Olsen, Kelly Maguire
Evaluating propagation method performance over time with Bayesian updating: An application to incubator testing
In captive-rearing programs, small sample sizes can limit the quality of information on performance of propagation methods. Bayesian updating can be used to increase information on method performance over time. We demonstrate an application to incubator testing at USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. A new type of incubator was purchased for use in the whooping crane (Grus americana)...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, J. N. Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, C. C. Shafer
Whooping crane titers in response to eastern equine encephalitis immunization
No abstract available.
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
The use of Emeraid Exotic Carnivore Diet improves postsurgical recovery and survival of long-tailed ducks
Gavage feeding is a commonly used technique in wildlife rehabilitation. While implanting satellite transmitters in long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis), a need for extra postsurgical nutritional support was identified. A new product, Emeraid Exotic Carnivore Diet, has proven effective in maintaining and even increasing the birds' body weights while in captivity. This has resulted in a...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen, Scott L. Ford, Matthew Perry, Alicia Berlin
Book review: Birds of Prey: Health & Disease, Third Edition
Even though this book is billed as the third edition it is, in the words of Patrick T. Redig, author of its Foreword, ‘‘a seriously reinvented book.’’ Originally published in 1978 under the title of Veterinary Aspects of Captive Birds of Prey, this new edition, with its new title, could stand alone and not have been tagged with the ‘‘third edition.’’ Much has changed in the world of...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
Pathogenicity of West Nile virus and response to vaccination in sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) using a killed vaccine
West Nile virus was introduced into the United States in the vicinity of New York, New York, USA in 1999. The virus has since killed large numbers of birds nationwide, especially, but not limited to, crows (Corvus brachyrhinchos). One sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) at the Bridgeport Zoo (Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA) reportedly died from West Nile virus, so sandhill cranes and...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen, Kimberli J.G. Miller, Douglas E. Docherty, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Louis Sileo
Behavior comparisons for whooping cranes raised by costumed caregivers and trained for an ultralight-led migration
The successful reintroduction program being run by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership using whooping cranes (Grus americana) trained to fly behind ultralight aircraft depends on a supply of these trained crane colts each year. The crane colts are hatched from eggs contributed by the various partners and trained to follow costume clad humans and ultralight aircraft at USGS Patuxent...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
[Book Review] Waterfowl ecology and management by Guy A. Baldassarre and Eric G. Bolen
A review of: Waterfowl Ecology and Management. Second Edition. By Guy A Baldassarre and , Eric G Bolen; illustrated by , Tamara R Sayre. Malabar (Florida): Krieger Publishing. $112.50. xii + 567 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 1‐57524‐260‐5. 2006
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
Head-bobbing behavior in walking whooping cranes (Grus americana) and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis)
Head-bobbing is a common and characteristic behavior of walking birds. While the activity could have a relatively minor biomechanical function, for balance and stabilization of gait, head-bobbing is thought to be primarily a visual behavior in which fixation of gaze alternates with a forward movement that generates visual flow. We studied head-bobbing in locomoting whooping cranes (Grus...
Authors
Thomas M. Cronin, Matthew R. Kinloch, Glenn H. Olsen
Health management for the re-introduction of eastern migratory whooping cranes (Grus americana)
No abstract available.
Authors
B. Hartup, J. Langenberg, Glenn H. Olsen, M. G. Spalding, Kimberli J.G. Miller
Toxicity and hazard of vanadium to mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis)
A recent Canada goose (Branta canadensis) die-off at a petroleum refinery fly ash pond in Delaware was attributed to vanadium (V) toxicity. Because of the paucity of V toxicity data for wild birds, a series of studies was undertaken using the forms of V believed to have resulted in this incident. In 7-d single oral dose trials with mallard drakes (Anas platyrhynchos), the estimated...
Authors
Barnett Rattner, Moira A. McKernan, Karen M. Eisenreich, William A. Link, Glenn H. Olsen, David J. Hoffman, K.A. Knowles, Peter C. McGowan
Disseminated visceral coccidiosis in a wild white-naped crane (Grus vipio)
Disseminated visceral coccidiosis (DVC) was unexpectedly recognized in a wild white-naped crane (Grits vipio) killed by phosphamidon insecticide. On gross pathologic examination, widely disseminated white nodules were found on the serosa of the proventriculus, gizzard, and intestine, as well as on the surface and in the parenchyma of liver, spleen, and cardiac muscle. Microscopically...
Authors
Y.K. Kwon, W.J. Jeon, M.I. Kang, J.-H. Kim, Glenn H. Olsen
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 120
Decision analysis for conservation breeding: Maximizing production for reintroduction of whooping cranes
Captive breeding is key to management of severely endangered species, but maximizing captive production can be challenging because of poor knowledge of species breeding biology and the complexity of evaluating different management options. In the face of uncertainty and complexity, decision-analytic approaches can be used to identify optimal management options for maximizing captive...
Authors
Des H.V. Smith, Sarah J. Converse, Keith Gibson, Axel Moehrenschlager, William A. Link, Glenn H. Olsen, Kelly Maguire
Evaluating propagation method performance over time with Bayesian updating: An application to incubator testing
In captive-rearing programs, small sample sizes can limit the quality of information on performance of propagation methods. Bayesian updating can be used to increase information on method performance over time. We demonstrate an application to incubator testing at USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. A new type of incubator was purchased for use in the whooping crane (Grus americana)...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, J. N. Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, C. C. Shafer
Whooping crane titers in response to eastern equine encephalitis immunization
No abstract available.
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
The use of Emeraid Exotic Carnivore Diet improves postsurgical recovery and survival of long-tailed ducks
Gavage feeding is a commonly used technique in wildlife rehabilitation. While implanting satellite transmitters in long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis), a need for extra postsurgical nutritional support was identified. A new product, Emeraid Exotic Carnivore Diet, has proven effective in maintaining and even increasing the birds' body weights while in captivity. This has resulted in a...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen, Scott L. Ford, Matthew Perry, Alicia Berlin
Book review: Birds of Prey: Health & Disease, Third Edition
Even though this book is billed as the third edition it is, in the words of Patrick T. Redig, author of its Foreword, ‘‘a seriously reinvented book.’’ Originally published in 1978 under the title of Veterinary Aspects of Captive Birds of Prey, this new edition, with its new title, could stand alone and not have been tagged with the ‘‘third edition.’’ Much has changed in the world of...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
Pathogenicity of West Nile virus and response to vaccination in sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) using a killed vaccine
West Nile virus was introduced into the United States in the vicinity of New York, New York, USA in 1999. The virus has since killed large numbers of birds nationwide, especially, but not limited to, crows (Corvus brachyrhinchos). One sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) at the Bridgeport Zoo (Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA) reportedly died from West Nile virus, so sandhill cranes and...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen, Kimberli J.G. Miller, Douglas E. Docherty, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Louis Sileo
Behavior comparisons for whooping cranes raised by costumed caregivers and trained for an ultralight-led migration
The successful reintroduction program being run by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership using whooping cranes (Grus americana) trained to fly behind ultralight aircraft depends on a supply of these trained crane colts each year. The crane colts are hatched from eggs contributed by the various partners and trained to follow costume clad humans and ultralight aircraft at USGS Patuxent...
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
[Book Review] Waterfowl ecology and management by Guy A. Baldassarre and Eric G. Bolen
A review of: Waterfowl Ecology and Management. Second Edition. By Guy A Baldassarre and , Eric G Bolen; illustrated by , Tamara R Sayre. Malabar (Florida): Krieger Publishing. $112.50. xii + 567 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 1‐57524‐260‐5. 2006
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen
Head-bobbing behavior in walking whooping cranes (Grus americana) and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis)
Head-bobbing is a common and characteristic behavior of walking birds. While the activity could have a relatively minor biomechanical function, for balance and stabilization of gait, head-bobbing is thought to be primarily a visual behavior in which fixation of gaze alternates with a forward movement that generates visual flow. We studied head-bobbing in locomoting whooping cranes (Grus...
Authors
Thomas M. Cronin, Matthew R. Kinloch, Glenn H. Olsen
Health management for the re-introduction of eastern migratory whooping cranes (Grus americana)
No abstract available.
Authors
B. Hartup, J. Langenberg, Glenn H. Olsen, M. G. Spalding, Kimberli J.G. Miller
Toxicity and hazard of vanadium to mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis)
A recent Canada goose (Branta canadensis) die-off at a petroleum refinery fly ash pond in Delaware was attributed to vanadium (V) toxicity. Because of the paucity of V toxicity data for wild birds, a series of studies was undertaken using the forms of V believed to have resulted in this incident. In 7-d single oral dose trials with mallard drakes (Anas platyrhynchos), the estimated...
Authors
Barnett Rattner, Moira A. McKernan, Karen M. Eisenreich, William A. Link, Glenn H. Olsen, David J. Hoffman, K.A. Knowles, Peter C. McGowan
Disseminated visceral coccidiosis in a wild white-naped crane (Grus vipio)
Disseminated visceral coccidiosis (DVC) was unexpectedly recognized in a wild white-naped crane (Grits vipio) killed by phosphamidon insecticide. On gross pathologic examination, widely disseminated white nodules were found on the serosa of the proventriculus, gizzard, and intestine, as well as on the surface and in the parenchyma of liver, spleen, and cardiac muscle. Microscopically...
Authors
Y.K. Kwon, W.J. Jeon, M.I. Kang, J.-H. Kim, Glenn H. Olsen
*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