New Mexico State University

Research in the Wright Lab focuses on the function, evolution and underlying mechanisms of learned vocal signals in birds. Across the animal kingdom, the ability to learn vocal communication signals is restricted to a few evolutionarily distinct groups Parrots, in particular, are renowned for their vocal mimicry abilities in captivity, but less is known about how learning is used in the wild. Thus they present exciting opportunities for understanding how learning shapes communication behavior, how the function of learned vocalizations might differ between species, and how the underlying neural and endocrine mechanisms have evolved. 

These core interests have expanded through the years to encompass a variety of related topics including the effects of stress and aging on vocal learning capacity, the evolution of long lifespans, advanced cognitive abilities and other traits across parrot species, and the role of behavioral flexibility in species invasions and conservation. My students, collaborators and I approach these questions using a broad range of approaches including field observations, sound analysis, captive behavior studies, neural gene expression, interspecific comparisons, and molecular genetics. Students in my lab make use of these techniques or adopt new ones as appropriate to investigate their own questions in avian behavior and evolution.

The Wright lab welcomes trainees of all races, ethnicities, religions, cultural identities, sexual orientations and gender identities. Motivated, thoughtful, curious students with a deep-seated interest in animal communication and avian evolution are encouraged to contact Dr. Wright.

 

Research support by New Mexico State University, the NMSU Avian Migration Program, the National Science Foundation, the World Parrot Trust, the National Institutes of Health, National Geographic, and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.