CARLOS A. BOTERO		DEPARTMENT of NEUROBIOLOGY and BEHAVIOR & LABORATORY of ORNITHOLOGY, CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Last update July 2006
Contents Mockingbird research My other research Publications Curriculum vitae About me Contact me BioNB 323 Links	I am a behavioral ecologist and I am especially interested in the evolution of animal communication. The focus of my research at Cornell University has been to try to understand why mockingbirds have evolved exaggerated singing abilities, including the ability to learn new song types all through their lives (something relatively rare among songbirds). To explore this issue I’ve studied seasonal patterns of male song use in the wild, the role of particular song features as signals of communication, and the effects of the competition for mates and extra-pair mates on singing behavior. I’ve also collaborated with neurobiologists to explore how different areas of the brain are involved in heterospecific mimicry and male-male countersinging. Although most of my work has been done on tropical mockingbirds, I am currently involved in a large collaborative effort to study the evolution of song based on a molecular phylogeny of the entire mockingbird family (Mimidae). Please use the links to your left to learn more about me and my research. BioNB 323 (Methods in Animal Behavior) For course information and class material please click here. Call to contributors If you own sound recordings of mockingbirds, thrashers, or tremblers or if you think you may be able to record individuals of these species any time soon, please contact me. Find out more about this project and how you can help at my Mockingbird research page. Contact Information Electronic mail address: cab82ATcornellDOTedu Campus office: (607) 254 4306 Lab of Ornithology office: (607) 254 2164 Fax: (607) 254 4308 Mailing address: Carlos A. Botero Bioacoustics Research Program – CLO 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 Back to top