Basic Natural History Research

Basic natural history research is important! Ranging from something as seemingly simple as documenting the first known nest and eggs of a poorly known species to describing the potentially complex compositions of social groups and aggregations, basic natural history provides the fodder and inspiration for hypothesis-driven behavioral ecological and evolutionary research and basic conservation. The power and resolution of comparative analyses are constrained by such missing data. Consider this: how can we robustly infer whether the ancestral state for a family is cooperative breeding or biparental care if half or more of its species are missing detailed observations on social breeding systems? Such data are also vital for conservation efforts. Knowing what the nest of an endangered bird looks like before it becomes incredibly rare can be fairly handy if you're trying to implement a monitoring and management program for the species.

A goal of my research efforts is to improve our knowledge of generally poorly known species, especially tropical breeding birds, by opportunistically collecting and reporting basic natural history data.

Currently published work:

Cozumel Vireo (Vireo bairdi) nesting biology

While working on Cozumel for my master's work on Black Catbirds, I discovered and documented the first nest (three in total) of the endemic Cozumel Vireo. Jesús Gustavo Marina-Hipolito, a Mexican undergraduate (now a graduate student in Conservation and Wildlife Management at el Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre (ICOMVIS) de la Universidad Nacional (UNA) in Costa Rica) contributed greatly towards documenting this vireo's nesting biology, including braving the wilds of Cozumel on his own to gather more data for the species nesting phenology. In collaboration with Juan E. Martínez-Gómez (at el Instituto de Ecología in Xalapa, Mexico) and my MS advisor (Bob Curry), we recently published our observations.  (Picture above: Left - Cozumel Vireo eggs in the newly described nest; Right - Cozumel Vireo adult showing off a tick on its nostril)

LaPergola, J.B., J.G. Marina-Hipolito*, J.E. Martínez-Gómez, and R.L. Curry. 2012. First description of the nest and eggs of the island-endemic Cozumel Vireo, Vireo bairdi. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 124(4):743-749.

Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis) nesting biology

My first substantive set of natural history observations occurred while assisting my colleague and friend, Jen Mortensen (former Villanova MS student, now a PhD candidate at Tufts), with fieldwork on the social ecology of the White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus). We documented the first unequivocal nest of a Gray Trembler on St. Lucia, which possibly also represented the first definitive nest description for the species (see the paper for more info). (Pictures above: Left - a Gray Trembler adjusting eggs; Right - Gray Trembler incubating)

LaPergola, J.B., J.L. Mortensen, and R.L. Curry. 2011. Nest, eggs, and nesting behavior of the Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis) on St. Lucia, West Indies. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 123(2):390-395.

Albinism in the nine-banded armadillo (Daysproctus novemcinctus)

While working on Cozumel, I opportunistically observed four albino nine-banded armadillos foraging together. This observation represents the first definitive first-hand account of albinism in the species. (Picture above: Still frame showing one of the four individuals observed)

LaPergola, J.B. 2019. First record of albinism in the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Caribbean Naturalist. 64:1-5. [link]