Marie-Sophie Garcia-Heras | Zoology Faculty | SIU

I am an avian ecologist and conservation biologist that specializes in the ecology and conservation of resident and migratory bird species, specially focused on raptors from around the world.

I am broadly interested in (1) developing comprehensive research projects that identify avian species’ needs and their associated biotic communities, (2) assessing how various environmental and anthropogenic stressors, worsened by climate change, may be altering species’ range and ecology throughout their life cycle, and (3) finding solutions to enhance long-term conservation of species and the ecosystems they depend on. My primary research interests focus on space-use and migration patterns, in addition to breeding ecology, diet, environmental toxicology, ecophysiology, and the interactions between top-predators and prey. I conduct interdisciplinary and multicultural research with local and international collaborators as key elements for a broader understanding of the ecology of wild species and the functioning of the ecosystems they depend on.

A few species I conduct research on include Egyptian Vultures in the Canary Islands, Black Harriers in South Africa, Pueo – Hawaiian Short-eared Owl – in Hawai‘i, Bald Eagles in Michigan, in addition to seabirds in the U.S. Pacific Coast (with Marbled Murrelets in Oregon).