Ryan Norris

I am an ecologist interested in understanding how animals respond to seasonal and environmental change, and how that knowledge can be used to conserve declining populations. My research focuses primarily on birds and insects and spans behaviour, population ecology, migration, conservation, and species recovery.

A central theme of our lab is understanding how events occurring at different times and places are linked across the annual cycle. We combine long-term demographic studies, field experiments, animal tracking, and quantitative modelling to investigate the processes that influence individual fitness and population dynamics. Increasingly, we are also applying these approaches directly to conservation problems, including the recovery and reintroduction of species at risk.

Current research includes the full annual-cycle ecology of migratory birds, the ecology and conservation of monarch butterflies and other migratory insects, long-term studies of Canada Jays and Savannah Sparrows, reintroduction of endangered butterflies, wildlife tracking, and the development of conservation strategies for declining species.

• B.E.S. – University of Waterloo (1998)
• M.Sc. – York University (2000)
• Ph.D. – Queen's University (2004)
• NSERC/Killam Postdoc – University of British Columbia (2006)

Animals living in seasonal environments must continually adjust to changing conditions throughout the year. Events that occur during one period can influence behaviour, survival, and reproduction months later and often thousands of kilometres away. Understanding population dynamics therefore requires studying animals across space and across the full annual cycle, rather than during a single season.

Our lab uses long-term field studies, experiments, emerging tracking technologies, and quantitative models to understand these connections. Much of our work focuses on migratory animals. We ask where individuals go, how populations are connected across seasons, how animals adjust the timing and routes of migration, and how environmental conditions encountered in one part of the annual cycle influence subsequent performance and population dynamics.

Our long-term bird research includes Canada Jays in Algonquin Provincial Park (1965-present) and on Mount Washington, Vancouver Island (2016-present), as well as Savannah Sparrows on Kent Island (1987-present) in the Bay of Fundy. These studies allow us to examine how climate, environmental conditions, social behaviour, life-history strategies, and events early in life influence survival and reproduction over decades.

We also have a strong research program on insects. Our work on monarch butterflies uses new tracking technologies and field experiments to investigate migration, navigation, habitat quality, and the consequences of captive rearing. We are now beginning to examine some of these topics in dragonflies, including migratory patterns. More broadly, we study how conservation actions can be designed across the full annual cycle of migratory species.

Another major component of our current research focuses on the recovery of species at risk. Working with conservation organizations, governments, Indigenous partners, and other researchers, we are developing and testing approaches for reintroducing endangered butterflies and restoring viable populations. This work contributed to the first successful reintroduction of the endangered Mottled Duskywing butterfly in Ontario and is now being expanded to additional species and regions.

Across these projects, our goal is to combine fundamental ecological questions with practical conservation. We are particularly interested in identifying the mechanisms driving population change and using that knowledge to predict how animals will respond to environmental change and to design effective conservation and species-recovery strategies.

For full list see: www.norrislab.ca

• Brlík, V., Procházka, P., Rushing, C.S., et al. & Norris, D.R. 2026. Temporal links in avian migration schedules across the annual cycle. Nature Ecology & Evolution.

• Flockhart, D.T.T., Nicol, S., Chades, I., Mitchell, G.W., Martin, T.G., Fuller, R.A. & Norris, D.R. 2025. Optimal conservation of migratory monarch butterflies requires immediate action and international coordination. Current Biology 35: 4011–4018.e4.

• Duali, J., DeLuca, W.V., et al. & Norris, D.R. 2024. Range-wide post- and pre-breeding migratory networks of a declining Neotropical-Nearctic migratory bird, the blackpoll warbler. Scientific Reports 14: 30229.

• Fuirst, M., Strickland, D., Freeman, N.E., Sutton, A.O. & Norris, D.R. 2023. Early-life sibling conflict in Canada Jays has lifetime inclusive fitness consequences. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London: Biological Sciences 290: 20221863.

• Burant, J.B., Heisey, E.W. et al. & Norris, D.R. 2022. Natal experience and pre-breeding environmental condition affect lay date plasticity in Savannah sparrows. Ecology 103(2):e03575.

• Sutton, A.O., Strickland, D., Freeman, N.E. & Norris, D.R. 2021. Climate-driven carry-over effects negatively influence population growth in a food-caching boreal passerine. Global Change Biology 27(5):983-992.

• Freeman N.E., Norris, D.R., Sutton, A.O. & Newman A.E.M. 2020. Raising young with limited resources: supplementation improves nestling body condition and advances fledge date of Canada Jays. Ecology 101(1):e02909.

• Burant, J.B., Betini, G.S. & Norris, D.R. 2019. Simple signals indicate which period of the annual cycle drives declines in seasonal populations. Ecology Letters 22(12): 2141-2150.

• Mennill, D.J., Doucet, S.M., Newman, A.E.M., Williams, H., Moran, I.G., Woodworth, B.K., Thomas, I.P. & Norris, D.R. 2018. Wild birds learn songs from experimental vocal tutors. Current Biology 28:3273-3278.

• Woodworth, B.K., Wheelwright, N.T., Newman, A.E.M., Schaub, M. & Norris, D.R. 2017. Winter temperatures limit population growth rate of a migratory songbird. Nature Communications 8:14812.

• Kishkinev, D., Heyers, D., Woodworth, B.K., Mitchell, G.W., Hobson, K.A. & Norris, D.R. 2016. Experienced migratory songbirds do not display goal-ward orientation after release following a cross-continental displacement: an automated telemetry study. Scientific Reports 6: 37336.

• Betini, G.S., Fitzpatrick, M.J. & Norris, D.R. 2015. Experimental evidence for the effect of habitat loss on the dynamics of migratory networks. Ecology Letters 18: 526-534.

Whether in the field or classroom, my goal is to create an environment in which students enjoy engaging with natural history and ecological questions while developing the ability to think critically and independently. Rather than emphasizing memorization, I encourage students to evaluate evidence, develop hypotheses, analyze data, and synthesize information across topics.

Field-based teaching is particularly important to me. Students learn ecology most effectively when they have opportunities to ask their own questions, collect real data, and experience the challenges of designing and executing research. I therefore place a strong emphasis on hypothesis-driven research, collaborative learning, and connecting ecological theory with observations in the natural world.

Courses Taught

• BIOL*3010 – Lab & Field Methods in Ecology
• ZOO*4070 – Animal Behaviour
• ZOO*4410 – Field Ecology in Algonquin Park

I welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students interested in the broad research areas described above, including animal migration, population ecology, conservation, species recovery, behavioural ecology, and the ecology of birds and insects. I am particularly interested in students who bring their own ideas, are enthusiastic about field biology, and want to combine strong ecological questions with rigorous quantitative approaches. Projects often include a substantial field component, although I also supervise students working primarily with existing datasets, modelling, or synthesis.

My goal is for graduate students to develop independence as scientists and to produce research that is both scientifically rigorous and relevant beyond their thesis. Where appropriate, students are encouraged to structure their thesis around a series of publishable studies. Prospective students should contact me by email with a short description of their research interests, a CV, and an unofficial transcript.

Norris Lab
Motus Wildlife Tracking System
Ontario Butterfly Species at Risk Recovery Team
Project Monarch