Millicent S. Ficken
Emeritus Professor

B.S., Cornell Univ.
1955
Ph. D., Cornell Univ.
1960

Office: UWM Field Station
Phone: 262-675-6844
FAX: 262-675-0337
Email: fickenm@uwm.edu
Electronic Reserve
Materials:
Behavioral Ecology
Ornithology

Research Interests

I study avian communication and social systems in an evolutionary and ecological context. I am particularly interested in the evolution of acoustic signals in birds. My current research focuses on several interrelated topics. Most studies of avian acoustic communication have involved songbirds, a group noted for complex songs involved in mate attraction and territory. I am currently studying hummingbirds, a group that is not closely related to songbirds, but one that shows some striking parallels with songbirds in vocal learning and diversity of communicatory repertoires. Of particular interest are the acoustic properties and functions of vocalizations, mechanical sounds, and visual signals of hummingbirds related to ecological conditions. Also, my collaborators and I are engaged in a comparative study of the hummingbird family (Trochilidae) in an attempt to understand the relations among sexual dimorphism, type of social system, acoustic and visual signals, various ecological parameters, and phylogeny.

Selected Publications
    Pytte, C., Rusch, K., and Ficken, M. Regulation of vocal amplitude by the blue-throated hummingbird (Lampornis clemenciae). Anim Behav. 2003 (in press).

    Ficken, M., Rusch, K., Taylor, S. and Powers, D. Reproductive behavior and communication in blue-throated hummingbirds. Wilson Bull.114: 45-47. 2002.

    Rusch, K., Thusius, K. and Ficken, M. The organization of agonistic vocalizations in ruby-throated hummingbirds with a comparison to black-chinned hummingbirds. Wilson Bull. 113:425-430. 2001.

    Ficken, M.,Rusch, K., Taylor, S. and Powers, D. Blue-throated hummingbird song: a pinnacle of nonoscine vocalizations. Auk 117: 120-128 2000.

    Hailman J and Ficken M. Comparative analysis of vocal repertoires. In. D. Kroodsma and E. Miller (Eds.). Ecology and Evolution of Acoustic Communication in Birds. Cornell Univ. Press, 1996.

    Ficken M and Popp J. A comparative analysis of passerine mobbing calls. Auk 113:370-380, 1996.

    Ficken M and Popp J. Long-term persistence of a culturally transmitted vocalization of the black-capped chickadee. Animal Behaviour 50:683-693, 1995.

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