Amanda Rodewald

Garvin Professor and Senior Director, Center for Avian Population Studies

Conserving birds and biodiversity is a complex challenge that requires innovative science and technology, a detailed understanding of ecological and social systems, and the ability to implement sustainable solutions at global and local scales. Like others at the Lab, I believe that the highest return on conservation investments comes when science is used to guide actions.

As an ecologist and conservation biologist, I seek to identify and understand the needs and threats facing ecosystems and species globally, the actions needed to ensure conservation, and the ways to work with people to achieve them. Because my work is motivated by a deep commitment to both move science into action and build capacity in others, I collaborate with diverse scientists, decision-makers, practitioners, and partners in public and private sectors to develop approaches that support people, biodiversity, and the environment.

My current projects focus on (1) responses of animal populations and ecological communities to changes in land use, climate, invasive species, and disturbance regimes, (2) social and ecological dynamics in cities, working landscapes, and biodiversity hotspots, (3) sustainable management of temperate and tropical forests and farms, (4) conservation planning and prioritization, and (5) innovative finance and incentives to promote conservation and alleviate poverty.

Education

Ph.D., Ecology, Pennsylvania State University
M.S., Zoology, University of Arkansas
B.S., Wildlife Biology, University of Montana

Recent Publications

Rodewald, A. D. (2024). Counter-drug strategies in Central America are worsening deforestation, threatening many species of birds. The Conversation.

Rodewald, A. D., A. Lello-Smith, N. R. Magliocca, K. McSweeney, M. Strimas-Mackey, S. E. Sesnie, and E. A. Nielsen (2024). Intersection of narco trafficking, enforcement and bird conservation in the Americas. Nature Sustainability 7:855–859.

Neugarten, R. A., R. A. Rasolofoson, C. B. Barrett, G. Vieilledent, and A. D. Rodewald (2024). The effect of a political crisis on performance of community forests and protected areas in Madagascar. Nature Communications 15:2963.

Martell, J. E. M., and A. D. Rodewald (2024). Promoting conservation behaviors by leveraging optimistic and pessimistic messages and emotions. Society & Natural Resources 37:564–585.

Rousseau, J. S., S. H. Woodard, S. Jepsen, B. Du Clos, A. Johnston, B. N. Danforth, and A. D. Rodewald (2024). Advancing bee conservation in the US: gaps and opportunities in data collection and reporting. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 12:1346795.

Rousseau, J. S., A. Johnston, and A. D. Rodewald (2024). Indicators of a data-deficient taxa: combining bird and environmental data enhances predictive accuracy of wild bee richness. [Online.] Available at

Neugarten, R. A., R. Chaplin-Kramer, R. P. Sharp, R. Schuster, M. Strimas-Mackey, P. R. Roehrdanz, M. Mulligan, A. Van Soesbergen, D. Hole, C. M. Kennedy, J. R. Oakleaf, et al. (2024). Mapping the planet's critical areas for biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Nature Communications 15:261.

Gonzalez, C., A. D. Rodewald, P. Arcese, R. E. Bennett, J. N. Hernandez-Aguilera, X. Rueda, M. I. Gómez, and S. Wilson (2024). Effect of local habitat and landscape attributes on bird communities in shade coffee plantations in the Colombian Andes. Global Ecology and Conservation 55:e03207.

Wright, D. R., A. Gordon, R. E. Bennett, M. J. Selinske, P. E. Lentini, G. E. Garrard, A. D. Rodewald, and S. A. Bekessy (2024). Biodiverse coffee plantations provide co‐benefits without compromising yield. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment 3:sae2.70005.

McNeil, D. J., A. D. Rodewald, V. Ruiz Gutierrez, C. J. Fiss, and J. L. Larkin (2024). Heterogeneity in breeding productivity is driven largely by factors affecting nestlings and young fledglings in an imperiled migratory passerine. Ecology and Evolution 14:e11327.

Rhinehart, T. A., D. J. McNeil, C. J. Fiss, J. L. Larkin, A. D. Rodewald, J. Cohen, and J. Kitzes (2024). Benefits of Golden-winged Warbler and Cerulean Warbler habitat restoration for non-target forest birds: An empirical examination of the focal species concept. Biological Conservation 292:110436.

Montaño-Centellas, F. A., J. Muñoz, G. G. Mangini, I. J. Ausprey, F. L. Newell, H. H. Jones, M. E. Fanjul, B. A. Tinoco, G. J. Colorado Z., J. R. A. Cahill, E. Arbeláez-Cortés, et al. (2023). Network structure of avian mixed-species flocks decays with elevation and latitude across the Andes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 378:20220099.

Cooper, N. W., B. C. Dossman, L. E. Berrigan, J. M. Brown, D. A. Cormier, C. Bégin-Marchand, A. D. Rodewald, P. D. Taylor, J. A. Tremblay, and P. P. Marra (2023). Atmospheric pressure predicts probability of departure for migratory songbirds. Movement Ecology 11:23.

Cooper, N. W., B. C. Dossman, L. E. Berrigan, J. M. Brown, A. R. Brunner, H. E. Chmura, D. A. Cormier, C. Bégin-Marchand, A. D. Rodewald, P. D. Taylor, C. M. Tonra, et al. (2023). Songbirds initiate migratory flights synchronously relative to civil dusk. Movement Ecology 11:24.

Jones, T. M., L. J. Kearns, and A. D. Rodewald (2023). Anthropogenic light pollution is associated with diel patterns of fledging in an urban adapted songbird. Urban Ecosystems 26:1651–1658.

Fink, D., A. Johnston, M. Strimas‐Mackey, T. Auer, W. M. Hochachka, S. Ligocki, L. Oldham Jaromczyk, O. Robinson, C. Wood, S. Kelling, and A. D. Rodewald (2023). A Double machine learning trend model for citizen science data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14:2435–2448.

Binley, A. D., J. R. Bennett, R. Schuster, A. D. Rodewald, F. A. La Sorte, D. Fink, B. Zuckerberg, and S. Wilson (2023). Species traits drive responses of forest birds to agriculturally‐modified habitats throughout the annual cycle. Ecography 2023:e06457.

Schuster, R., R. Buxton, J. O. Hanson, A. D. Binley, J. Pittman, V. Tulloch, F. A. La Sorte, P. R. Roehrdanz, P. H. Verburg, A. D. Rodewald, S. Wilson, et al. (2023). Protected area planning to conserve biodiversity in an uncertain future. Conservation Biology 37:e14048.

Dossman, B. C., A. D. Rodewald, C. E. Studds, and P. P. Marra (2023). Migratory birds with delayed spring departure migrate faster but pay the costs. Ecology 104.

Swift, R. J., A. D. Rodewald, G. J. MacDonald, and N. R. Senner (2023). Perceived risks and rewards of foraging sites strongly affect density and condition of non-breeding Hudsonian Godwits. Ibis 165:1169–1185.

Molina, M. D., N. Chau, A. D. Rodewald, and F. Garip (2023). How to model the weather-migration link: A machine-learning approach to variable selection in the Mexico-U.S. context. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 49:465–491.

Rodewald, A. D., and K. Waldrop (2022). Lame-duck Congress can act in unity to protect abundant wildlife. The Hill.

Rodewald, A. D. (2022). Capito must lead on Wildlife Act. Charleston Gazette-Mail.

Rodewald, A. D. (2022). In 50 years, the Baltimore oriole population fell by a third; will we risk losing more? Baltimore Sun.

Corsini, M., P. Leanza, A. D. Rodewald, J. Sudyka, A. A. Dhondt, and M. Szulkin (2022). Coping with novelty across an urban mosaic: Provisioning latency increases closer to roads and is associated with species-specific reproductive success in two urban adapters. Science of The Total Environment 847:157450.

Lello-Smith, A., A. D. Rodewald, V. H. Ramos, K. V. Rosenberg, and V. Ruiz Gutierrez (2022). Repeated burning undermines the value of regenerating cattle pastures for tropical forest birds. Biological Conservation 271:109593.

Lin, H.-Y., A. D. Binley, R. Schuster, A. D. Rodewald, R. Buxton, and J. R. Bennett (2022). Using community science data to help identify threatened species occurrences outside of known ranges. Biological Conservation 268:109523.

Wilson, S., H. Lin, R. Schuster, A. M. González, C. Gómez, E. Botero‐Delgadillo, N. J. Bayly, J. R. Bennett, A. D. Rodewald, P. R. Roehrdanz, and V. Ruiz Gutierrez (2022). Opportunities for the conservation of migratory birds to benefit threatened resident vertebrates in the Neotropics. Journal of Applied Ecology 59:653–663.

Liang, Y., I. Rudik, and A. D. Rodewald (2022). How does reducing air pollution help birds? Environmental Science Journal for Kids and Teens 2022.

Fotis, A., C. E. Flower, J. W. Atkins, C. C. Pinchot, A. D. Rodewald, and S. Matthews (2022). The short-term and long-term effects of honeysuckle removal on canopy structural complexity and implications for urban forest management. Forest Ecology and Management 517:120251.

Rodewald, A. D. (2021). Recovering America through the lens of wildlife. The Hill.

Rodewald, A. D. (2021). Leveraging 30x30 through partnerships and co-benefits. The Hill.

Fleri, J. R., T. G. Martin, A. D. Rodewald, and P. Arcese (2021). Non-native earthworms alter the assembly of a meadow plant community. Biological Invasions 20:2407–2415.

Sevillano-Ríos, C. S., and A. D. Rodewald (2021). Responses of Polylepis birds to patch and landscape attributes in the High Andes. Neotropical Biodiversity 7:5–22.

Rodewald, A. D. (2021). The Trump administration misses an opportunity to protect the air. The Hill.

Lerman, S. B., L. Pejchar, L. Benedict, K. M. Covino, J. L. Dickinson, J. E. Fantle-Lepczyk, A. D. Rodewald, and C. Vleck (2021). Juggling parenthood and ornithology: A full lifecycle approach to supporting mothers through the American Ornithological Society. Ornithological Applications 123:duab001.

Fiss, C. J., D. J. McNeil, A. D. Rodewald, D. Heggenstaller, and J. L. Larkin (2021). Cross-scale habitat selection reveals within-stand structural requirements for fledgling Golden-winged Warblers. Avian Conservation and Ecology 16:art16.

Anderson, M., A. D. Rodewald, and A. A. Dayer (2021). Regional variation in US land trust capacities and activities related to bird conservation. Natural Areas Journal 41:39–46.

Williams, A., A. A. Dayer, J. N. Hernandez‐Aguilera, T. B. Phillips, H. Faulkner‐Grant, M. I. Gómez, and A. D. Rodewald (2021). Tapping birdwatchers to promote bird-friendly coffee consumption and conserve birds. People and Nature 3:312–324.

Jones, T. M., J. D. Brawn, A. C. Ausprey, A. C. Vitz, A. D. Rodewald, D. W. Rybuck, T. J. Boves, C. J. Fiss, D. J. McNeil, S. H. Stoleson, J. L. Larkin, et al. (2020). Parental benefits and offspring costs reflect parent-offspring conflict over the age of fledging among songbirds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 117:30539–30546.

Lin, H.-Y., R. Schuster, S. Wilson, S. J. Cooke, A. D. Rodewald, and J. R. Bennett (2020). Integrating season-specific needs of migratory and resident birds in conservation planning. Biological Conservation 252:108826.

Liang, Y., I. Rudik, E. Y. Zou, A. Johnston, A. D. Rodewald, and C. L. Kling (2020). Conservation cobenefits from air pollution regulation: Evidence from birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117:30900–30906.

Lees, A. C., K. V. Rosenberg, V. Ruiz Gutierrez, S. Marsden, T. S. Schulenberg, and A. D. Rodewald (2020). A roadmap to identifying and filling shortfalls in Neotropical ornithology. The Auk 137:ukaa048.

Fiss, C. J., D. J. McNeil, A. D. Rodewald, J. E. Duchamp, and J. L. Larkin (2020). Post-fledging Golden-winged Warblers require forests with multiple stand developmental stages. The Condor 122:duaa052.

Swift, R. J., A. D. Rodewald, J. Johnson, B. Andres, and N. R. Senner (2020). Seasonal survival and reversible state effects in a long-distance migratory shorebird. Journal of Animal Ecology 89:2043–2055.

Sullivan, S. M. P., M. C. Rains, A. D. Rodewald, W. W. Buzbee, and A. D. Rosemond (2020). Distorting science, putting water at risk. Science 369:766–768.

Rodewald, A. D. (2020). Act Now to Protect Our Nation’s Birds. The Hill.

Martell, J. E. M., and A. D. Rodewald (2020). Frames, facts, and the science of communicating environmental crises. Conservation Biology 34:766–768.

Rodewald, A. D. (2020). Weakening Air Quality Standards Threatens to Exacerbate COVID-19 Health Disparities. The Hill.

Rodewald, A. D. (2020). The Effort to Fight Emerging Infectious Diseases Must Be Holistic. The Hill.

Education

Recent Publications

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