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.
Lee Tibbitts
Shorebird ecology, population monitoring, waterbird conservation.
Professional Experience
1998 - Present Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1988 - 1998 Biological Technician/General Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/ National Biological Service, Anchorage, Alaska
1981 - 1988 Various biotechnical positions, federal/ state wildlife agencies and universities, Oregon and Hawaii
Education and Certifications
M.S. 2000 Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA Wildlife Biology
B.S. 1982 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Wilson Ornithological Society
American Ornithologist's Union
Cooper Ornithological Society
Association of Field Ornithologists
Waterbird Society
Wader Study Group
Science and Products
Shorebird Research
USGS Alaska Science Center Wildlife Tracking Data Collection
Tracking Data for Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus)
Tracking Data for Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Tracking Data for Buff-Breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)
Tracking Data for Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
Tracking Data for Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus)
Geospatial Sampling Information for the Inventory of Montane-nesting Birds in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska, 2001-2003
Tracking Data for Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Tracking Data for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis)
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
Inventory Data of Lowland-Breeding Birds and Associated Vegetation Types on the Alaska Peninsula, 2004-2007
Tracking Data for Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) measurement data from Brazil, Texas, and Alaska
Measurements Used to Determine the Sex of Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis)
Tracking Data for Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
![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.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper with transmitter
Buff-breasted Sandpiper with transmitter
Buff-breasted Sandpipers in Texas turf farms
Buff-breasted Sandpipers in Texas turf farms
Bristle-thighed Curlews perching on the predator fence in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews perching on the predator fence in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Oahu, Hawaii
Grazed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes at Makahoa Point east of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR) on Oahu, Hawaii.
Grazed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes at Makahoa Point east of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR) on Oahu, Hawaii.
Mowed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes of the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Mowed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes of the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Ephemeral wet meadow surrounded by mowed vegetation in the Punamano Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Ephemeral wet meadow surrounded by mowed vegetation in the Punamano Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews on the largest mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews on the largest mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews on small island in shallow ponds of the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
Bristle-thighed Curlews on small island in shallow ponds of the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
![Shallow ponds in the Ki’i Unit, on Oahu, Hawaii](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/JCNWR_shallow_pond_mowed_dike_kii_June_2011.jpg?itok=HsalrnHj)
Shallow ponds and mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit. Habitats and areas used by Bristle-thighed Curlews in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
Shallow ponds and mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit. Habitats and areas used by Bristle-thighed Curlews in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
![A small bird on a deck bird feeder](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/deformed_BCCH_at_peanut_butter_2010_Lee_Tibbits.jpg?itok=Xzr9nD78)
Deformed beak Black-capped Chickadee next to peanut butter on a feeder
Deformed beak Black-capped Chickadee next to peanut butter on a feeder
Site fidelity of migratory shorebirds facing habitat deterioration: Insights from satellite tracking and mark-resighting
Disparate data streams together yield novel survival estimates of Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
Hidden in plain sight: Migration routes of the elusive Anadyr bar-tailed godwit revealed by satellite tracking
Central-West Siberian-breeding Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) segregate in two morphologically distinct flyway populations
Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands
Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures
A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap
Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth
Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags
Science and Products
Shorebird Research
USGS Alaska Science Center Wildlife Tracking Data Collection
Tracking Data for Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus)
Tracking Data for Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Tracking Data for Buff-Breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)
Tracking Data for Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
Tracking Data for Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus)
Tracking Data for Marbled Godwits (Limosa fedoa)
Tracking Data for Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus)
Geospatial Sampling Information for the Inventory of Montane-nesting Birds in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska, 2001-2003
Tracking Data for Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica)
Tracking Data for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis)
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
Inventory Data of Lowland-Breeding Birds and Associated Vegetation Types on the Alaska Peninsula, 2004-2007
Tracking Data for Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis) measurement data from Brazil, Texas, and Alaska
Measurements Used to Determine the Sex of Bristle-thighed Curlews (Numenius tahitiensis)
Tracking Data for Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
![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.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper with transmitter
Buff-breasted Sandpiper with transmitter
Buff-breasted Sandpipers in Texas turf farms
Buff-breasted Sandpipers in Texas turf farms
Bristle-thighed Curlews perching on the predator fence in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews perching on the predator fence in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Oahu, Hawaii
Grazed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes at Makahoa Point east of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR) on Oahu, Hawaii.
Grazed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes at Makahoa Point east of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (JCNWR) on Oahu, Hawaii.
Mowed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes of the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Mowed grasses interspersed with low shrubs in coastal dunes of the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Ephemeral wet meadow surrounded by mowed vegetation in the Punamano Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Ephemeral wet meadow surrounded by mowed vegetation in the Punamano Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews on the largest mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews on the largest mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit in James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii
Bristle-thighed Curlews on small island in shallow ponds of the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
Bristle-thighed Curlews on small island in shallow ponds of the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
![Shallow ponds in the Ki’i Unit, on Oahu, Hawaii](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/JCNWR_shallow_pond_mowed_dike_kii_June_2011.jpg?itok=HsalrnHj)
Shallow ponds and mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit. Habitats and areas used by Bristle-thighed Curlews in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
Shallow ponds and mowed dike in the Ki’i Unit. Habitats and areas used by Bristle-thighed Curlews in the Ki’i Unit of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu, Hawaii.
![A small bird on a deck bird feeder](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/deformed_BCCH_at_peanut_butter_2010_Lee_Tibbits.jpg?itok=Xzr9nD78)
Deformed beak Black-capped Chickadee next to peanut butter on a feeder
Deformed beak Black-capped Chickadee next to peanut butter on a feeder
Site fidelity of migratory shorebirds facing habitat deterioration: Insights from satellite tracking and mark-resighting
Disparate data streams together yield novel survival estimates of Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
Hidden in plain sight: Migration routes of the elusive Anadyr bar-tailed godwit revealed by satellite tracking
Central-West Siberian-breeding Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) segregate in two morphologically distinct flyway populations
Diverse patterns of migratory timing, site use, and site fidelity by Alaska-breeding Whimbrels
When a typical jumper skips: Itineraries and staging habitats used by Red Knots (Calidris canutus piersmai) migrating between northwest Australia and the New Siberian Islands
Ecological insights from three decades of animal movement tracking across a changing Arctic
Shorebird research at the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
After-hatch and hatch year Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) can be sexed accurately using morphometric measures
A red knot as a black swan: How a single bird shows navigational abilities during repeat crossings of the Greenland Icecap
Through thick and thin: Sexing Bristle-thighed Curlews Numenius tahitiensis using measures of bill depth
Tracking the migration of Pacific Golden-Plovers from nonbreeding grounds at Moorea, French Polynesia, using Pinpoint GPS-Argos tags
*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