Dr. Scott Wilson
Quantitative Ecologist
Current research and/or projects
Application of demographic and population models to identify limiting stages of the annual cycle for migratory Species-at-Risk
Using citizen science to identify priority areas for the conservation of threatened migratory and resident vertebrates in the western hemisphere
Ecological predictors of sensitivity to habitat modification for migratory species during breeding and nonbreeding periods of the annual cycle
Identifying characteristics of agroecosystems to support bird, bat and amphibian biodiversity
Assessment of how oceanic climate impacts marine bird diversity along the Pacific coast at multiple temporal scales
Professional activities / interests
Adjunct professor - University of British Columbia and Carleton University
Member of COSEWIC Birds Specialist Subcommittee
Subject Editor, Avian Conservation and Ecology
Education and awards
Postdoctoral Fellow – Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
PhD (Ecology) – University of British Columbia
MSc (Ecology) – University of British Columbia
Key publications
Céspedes-Arias, L.N., S. Wilson, and N.J. Bayly. 2021. Community modeling reveals the importance of elevation and land cover in shaping migratory bird abundance in the Andes. Ecological Applications. In Press.
Wilson, A.G., S. Wilson, N. Alavi, and D.R. Lapen. 2021. Human density is associated with the increased prevalence of a generalist zoonotic parasite in mammalian wildlife. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. In Press.
Qiao, Z., G.W. Mitchell, M. Cadman, J. Kusack, D. Evans, K. Bumelis, K.A. Hobson, M.D. Weegman, A. Salvadori, and S. Wilson. 2021. Integrating regional and site-level data to address drivers of population decline in a threatened aerial insectivorous bird. Biological Conservation. In Press.
González, A.M., N. J. Bayly, S. Wilson and K.A. Hobson. 2021. Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes Ecological Indicators 131: 108115
Wilson, S., N. Alavi, D. Pouliot, and G.W. Mitchell. 2020. Similarity between agricultural and natural land covers shapes how biodiversity responds to agricultural expansion at landscape scales. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 301: 107052.
Hsien-Yung L., 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.
Hobson, K. A., and S. Wilson. 2020. The avian conservation crisis, Canada’s international record, and the need for a new path forward Avian Conservation and Ecology 15:22.
Cano N, N.J. Bayly, and S. Wilson. 2020. Is there more than one way to cross the Caribbean Sea? Migratory strategies of Nearctic-Neotropical landbirds departing from Northern Colombia Journal of Avian Biology 51: e02394.
Wilson, S., R. Schuster, J.R. Bennett, A.D. Rodewald, A.C. Smith, F.A. LaSorte, P.H. Verburg, and P. Arcese. 2019. Prioritize diversity or declining species? Tradeoffs and synergies in spatial planning for the conservation of migratory birds in the face of land cover change Biological Conservation 239: 108285.
Schuster, R., S. Wilson, A.D. Rodewald, P. Arcese, D. Fink, T. Auer, and J.R. Bennett. 2019. Optimizing the conservation of migratory species over their full annual cycle. Nature Communications 10: 1754
Endenburg, S., G. Mitchell, P. Kirby, J. Pasher, L. Fahrig, and S. Wilson. 2019. The homogenizing influence of agriculture on forest bird communities. Landscape Ecology 34: 2385-2399.
Wilson, S., A.C. Smith, and I. Naujokaitis-Lewis. 2018. Opposing response to drought shapes spatial population dynamics of declining grassland birds. Diversity and Distributions 24:1687-1698.
Wilson, S., J.F. Saracco, R. Krikun, D.T. Flockhart, C.M. Godwin, and K. Foster. 2018. Drivers of demographic decline across the annual cycle of a threatened migratory bird. Scientific Reports 8:7316.
Wilson, S., G.W. Mitchell, J. Pasher, M. McGovern, M.R. Hudson, and L. Fahrig. 2017. Influence of crop type, heterogeneity and woody structure on avian biodiversity in agricultural landscapes Ecological Indicators 83:218-226.
Wilson, S., K. Gil-Weir, R.G. Clark, G.J. Robertson, and M.T. Bidwell. 2016. Integrated population modeling to assess demographic variation and contributions to population growth for endangered whooping cranes. Biological Conservation 197:1-7.