August Davidson-Onsgard

I am interested in why nature is colourful, and how elaborate patterns and behaviours evolve. I strive to understand both the roles social behavior and ecology play in shaping colouration, and how colour can impact evolution, behaviour, and mate choice. My main focuses currently are the evolution of polymorphism and colour diversity in eggs and precocial young. My primary study species is the Banded Dotterel (Charadrius bicinctus). I am also interested in the evolution of avian breeding systems, particularly why behaviours such as facultative polygyny, mate switching, and divorce occur, and the role of ornamentation in these mating decisions. In the past, my research has focused on ornamentation in female birds. Before starting in research, I was trained in photography and my work now almost always involves using cameras to document and measure different colours and behaviours.