Welcome to the Mulder Lab!

We are fascinated by the causes and consequences of variability in mating systems, particularly the relative importance of sexual and natural selection, the role of visual and acoustic signals, and the way in which cooperation and conflict interact in complex social groups. Much of our work combines field studies of behaviour with the use of molecular markers to assign parentage, to better understand the fitness outcomes of different individual strategies. Why birds? They exhibit remarkable variation in their life histories, their reproductive success is neatly contained in a nest, and they can be readily marked for individual identification. And of course, they are endlessly engaging and surprising in their natural history and behaviour.

Click through the sliders above to get a taste of some of the species and problems we study. Details of our current research projects are available on the Research page.The People page highlights current lab members, and the Publications page contains a full list of papers emanating from our research. Please visit our Opportunities page for more information about upcoming projects in the lab. We hope you enjoy visiting the site!