Levi Souza
PhD Graduate Student Researcher
Education
Ph.D in Ecology, expected 2013, UC Davis
B.S., UC DavisCurrent Project
The Yellow-billed Magpie’s range is limited to the Central Valley and Southern Coast Ranges of California. This California endemic (meaning found only in California) bird species has suffered dramatic mortality from West Nile virus (WNV); since 2004 over 12,000 dead magpies have been reported to the California Department of Health Services WNV Dead Bird Surveillance Program. The Yellow-billed Magpie has consistently had the highest proportion of WNV-positive carcasses of all California native bird species.
Through collaborations with members of the Yellow-billed Magpie Working Group, the public through Magpie Monitors (www.magpiemonitor.org), CDFG, PRBO Conservation Science, The Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and other agencies, organizations and ornithologists, we are implementing studies to estimate and track population abundance and seasonal habitat-use patterns in 2007 and 2008, and examine loss of genetic diversity post-WNV establishment.
Though familiar to many who live within its range, we know surprisingly little about various aspects of the Yellow-billed Magpie's life history. Gaps in our knowledge include dispersal patterns, subpopulation status, and habitat preferences, among others. To help answer what habitats magpies prefer, I am currently working on building a computer model that describes the climate and vegetation types that Yellow-billed magpies use the most. I also oversee the Magpie Monitor program, a citizen science effort that helps expand the volume of data available for analysis. To visit the website of the Magpie Monitor program, please go to http://magpiemonitor.org/.
Research Experience:
Ph.D. research on Yellow-billed Magpies, Wildlife and Ecology Unit, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California, Davis. Current Project, with Scott Crosbie: Status of the Yellow-billed Magpie
Research Interests
- Conservation Ecology
- Avian Ecology
- Current status and viability of the Yellow-billed Magpie
- Eco-toxicology and ecological genetics
