The 2023 Fall Seminar Series will feature Brian Davis, James C. Kennedy Endowed Professor of Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation at the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University in Starkville. Dr. Davis will give a talk titled “The Mallard mirage: How genetics are improving the optics” on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 2217 of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Building located at 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL.

Dr. Davis is hosted by Stephanie Braswell, M.S. student in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. Dr. Davis will address the decline of mallards in eastern North America, which may be partially explained by extensive hybridization with human-released domestically derived game-farm Mallards. This seminar will discuss the history of Mallards and other similar ducks in North America. Ramifications, such as changes in morphology, for wild mallards mating with game-farm Mallards will be discussed.

Dr. Davis is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and has a B.S. in Wildlife Management, from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Wildlife Science from Mississippi State University (MSU). He has held positions with the Missouri Department of Conservation, California Waterfowl Association, and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. In 2009 he joined the faculty of the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, where he currently holds the rank of Professor. His conservation and research interests focus on waterfowl and wetlands conservation. His research activities include a variety of duck species, coastal marsh restoration (Louisiana), native bee use of wetlands, ecosystem values of Wetland Reserve and other conservation lands, shorebirds, and waterbirds on aquaculture farms.

Faculty, students, and the public are invited to attend this program. Advanced registration is not required.  Refreshments will be available after the seminar, and CFEs are available upon request. Parking is available on the third and fourth floors in the South Quad Parking Deck across from the CFWE Building on Duncan Drive. To receive announcements about future seminars, download the 2023 Fall Seminar Calendar or request to join our email list at cfwecom@auburn.edu.