Thomas Sherry

Professor Emeritus- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Visiting Scholar, Dartmouth College, Biological Sciences
School of Science & Engineering
http://www.tulane.edu/~Sherry27/
Stone Center Departments
The Stone Center
People Classification
Faculty
Tulane Affiliation
Core Faculty
Region
  • Caribbean
  • Central America
Thomas Sherry

Courses

General Ecology; Conservation Biology; Tropical Conservation and Global Change, Climate Change across the Curriculum: Science, Stakes, and Solutions

Additional Info

Dissertations or Theses Supervised at Tulane: 16 Ph.D. dissertations, 6 MS theses, 14 undergraduate honors theses.

Research

Tropical Ornithology; Population Limitation and Regulation of Migratory Birds; Habitat Selection; Conservation of Biological Diversity, especially tropical diversity; Climate Change 

Degrees

  • Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles, Ecology, 1981
  • M.A., Dartmouth College, Biology, 1975
  • B.A., Dartmouth College, Biology, 1973

Academic Experience

Academic Experience
  • Professor, Tulane University, 1999-
  • New Day Professor III and Siegel Professor in Social Entrepreneurship, Phyllis Taylor Center, 2016-2019
  • Associate Professor, Tulane University, 1994-1999
  • Assistant Professor, Tulane University, 1989-1994

Distinctions

  • President-elect, American Ornithological Society, 2018-2020
  • Bullard Fellowship, “Integrating ecological and evolutionary ideas in species-rich environments to understand community structure,” Harvard University, Sept. 2018-Feb. 2019
  • George H. Lowery Award, Louisiana Ornithological Society, 2016

Languages

  • Spanish
  • French

Overseas Experience

  • Costa Rica
  • Jamaica
  • France
  • Cuba
  • Panama
  • Brazil
  • Ecuador

Related Experience

  • New course, “Climate Change across the Curriculum: Science, Stakes, and Solutions”, senior elective, Social Innovation & Social Entrepreneurship minor, Phyllis Taylor Cntr. for Social Innovation & Design Thinking, 2017-2018
  • Co-developed and organized Tulane’s inaugural CIAPA interdisciplinary (Spring) semester study-abroad program in San José, Costa Rica (2013-14); and taught Tropical Conservation and Global Change course as part of this program (2014)
  • Participated in Tulane (Provost)-initiated Tulane faculty rapprochement with discipline-relevant faculty at University of Havana, Havana, Cuba, 2012
  • Treasurer, International Ornithologists Union, 2011-2014
  • Served on MS, and Ph.D. thesis external review committee for three students, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, 2010-2011.
  • Co-organized symposium “Habitat fragmentation in tropical forest birds” for 25th International Ornithological Congress, Campos do Jordão, Brazil (with Luis Dos Anjos, Brazil), 2010.
  • National Science Foundation, Ecology Panel, Evolutionary and Population Ecology Panel, 2006, 2007; Population and Community Panel, 2011
  • Chercheur Associé, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier, France, 2004-2005
  • Chair, International Affairs Committee, American Ornithologists’ Union, 2004-2007

Selected Publications

  • 2024. Sherry, T. W., J. González Díaz, Felisa Collazo Torres, R. A. Pérez-Rivera, J. Proctor, H. Raffaele, and A. Tossas. “Perspectives and Opinions: The Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus)…” Caribbean Journal of Ornithology 37: 27-34.
  • 2021. Sherry, T. W. “Sensitivity of tropical insectivorous birds to the Anthropocene…” Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9: 662873. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.662873/full.
  • 2020. Sherry, T. W., C. M. Kent, N. V. Sánchez, and Ç. H. Şekercioğlu. “Insectivorous birds in the Neotropics…” The Auk: Ornithological Advances 137(4): https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukaa049.
  • 2016. “Chapter 8. Avian Food and Foraging.” The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology, 264-310 3rd Edition (I. J. Lovette and J. W. Fitzpatrick, Eds). John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, UK.
  • 2015. “Patterns and causes of understory bird declines from human-disturbed tropical forest landscapes: A case study from Central America.” Visco, D. M., N. L. Michel, A. W. Boyle, B. J. Sigel, S. Woltmann, and T. W. Sherry. Biological Conservation 191: 1