Dr. James R. Belthoff came to Boise State University in 1993 as faculty with the Department of Biological Sciences and the Raptor Research Center. He has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University, an M.S. in Biology from Eastern Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. in Zoology from Clemson University. His main research focus is on understanding factors that drive natal dispersal in birds. These factors may be external (e.g., population density, food availability, parental and sibling aggression) or internal (e.g., maturation, hormones, body condition). His current projects are related to the population biology, behavioral ecology, and conservation of burrowing owls, movement biology and physiology of house finches, and effects of habitat changes on shrub-steppe passerines. Dr. Belthoff serves as the major professor for students pursuing M.S. degrees in the Raptor Biology and General Biology Programs. In addition to teaching and research, he maintains memberships in professional ornithological and biological societies, and serves as a scientific peer reviewer for numerous journals and foundations including American Naturalist, Animal Behaviour, Behavioral Ecology, Journal of Field Ornithology, Journal of Raptor Research, and the National Science Foundation. He was Co-PI for a 2008-2013 NSF grant of $2.3 million to study the utilization of local resources and education settings to stimulate K-12 learning, as well as a number of smaller grants, many for the study of owls and other raptors.
Articles
Roadway Mortality of Barn Owls in Idaho, USA (with Than J. Boves), The Journal of Wildlife Management (2012)
We examined the temporal, spatial, and demographic factors that influenced roadway mortality of barn owls...
Influence of Bill and Foot Morphology on the Ectoparasites of Barn Owls (with Sarah E. Bush, Scott M. Villa, Than J. Boves, and Dallas Brewer), Journal of Parasitology (2012)
Preening is the principle behavioral defense used by birds to combat ectoparasites. Most birds have...
Relationships Between Yolk Androgens and Nest Density, Laying Date, and Laying Order in Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) (with Justin L. Welty, Jeremy R. Egbert, and H. Schwabl), Canadian Journal of Zoology (2012)
Increases in yolk androgens within and among avian clutches have been correlated with decreased incubation...
Eighteen Microsatellite Loci Developed from Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) (with Brant C. Faircloth, Alexandra Title, Kevin Tan, Justin Welty, and Patricia Adair Gowaty), Conservation Genetics Resources (2010)
Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) are ground-dwelling owls distributed throughout western North America. Because...
Lead Bullet Fragments in Venison from Rifle-Killed Deer: Potential for Human Dietary Exposure (with W. Grainger Hunt, Richard T. Watson, J. Lindsay Oaks, Chris N. Parish, Kurt K. Burnham, Russell L. Tucker, and Garret Hart), PLoS ONE (2009)
Human consumers of wildlife killed with lead ammunition may be exposed to health risks associated...
Contributions to Books
Proximate Mechanisms of Natal Dispersal: The Role of Body Condition and Hormones (with Alfred M. Dufty Jr.), Dispersal (2001)
We examine proximate issues related to the initiation of natal dispersal in birds and mammals,...