The American Ornithological Society (AOS) bestows Student Presentation Awards on students at all levels (undergraduate, masters, and doctoral) who present outstanding posters or oral presentations at our annual meeting. This year, the Society presented nine awards and 11 honorable mentions to deserving students at the AOS 2026 Annual Meeting in Amherst, Massachusetts.
We extend our sincere thanks to the Student Presentation Awards Committee, our 88 volunteer judges, and 138 student presenters this year. Congratulations to the following winners, each of whom received an honorarium with their award. Those receiving Honorable Mentions are granted a free one-year membership in the AOS.
Nellie Johnson Baroody Award
Given for the best presentation on any topic in ornithology, typically given to a student prior to the Ph.D. level
Dhruv Tomar
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“Three-dimensional thermal video tracking reveals light-induced behavioral disruptions in nocturnal migrants”
Robert B. Berry Student Award
Given for the best oral presentation on a topic pertaining to avian conservation
Maina Handmaker
University of Massachusetts Amherst
“The cost of limited nocturnal roost availability on pre-migratory energy budgets in a central-place foraging shorebird”
Mark E. Hauber Award
Given for the best oral presentation on avian behavior
Rosalyn Bathrick
University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Alaskan shorebirds take the hemisphere: defining flyways, strategies, and flexibility among a suite of species during post-breeding migration”
A. Brazier Howell Award
Given for the best presentation on any topic in ornithology
Charlotte Probst
University of Michigan
“Resource declines shape phenological and morphological responses to climate change in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)”
Frances F. Roberts Award
Given for the best presentation on any topic in ornithology
Bruna Rodrigues do Amaral
Michigan State University
“Protecting birds in protected areas: a multi-scale analysis of forest structure on avian occurrence”
AOS Council Awards
Given for the best presentations on any topic in ornithology
Silas Fischer
University of Toledo
“Beyond reasonable drought: Effects of experimental water supplementation on growth, physiology, and post-fledging survival in Gray Vireos during severe drought”
Yangkang Chen
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“Community dynamics of the North American bird migration system”
Erik Schoenborn
University of Wyoming
“Perception and the Preference-Performance Gap in Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus)”
Sarah Endyke
University of Maryland
“Improving the way isotopes are used in avian movement ecology: The overlooked role of sulfur”
Honorable Mentions
Saimara Alejandro
University at Buffalo
“Genomic signatures of isolation and reduced diversity in an island-endemic hummingbird, the Puerto Rican Mango Hummingbird (Anthracothorax aurulentus)”
William Anderson
University of Colorado Boulder
“Range-wide geographic sampling characterizes population genetic structure and introgression in a cryptic North American songbird”
Emily Andersen
Cornell University
“The influence of male age on extra-pair paternity in Black-throated Blue Warblers (Setophaga caerulescens)”
Michael Castaño Diaz
University of Wyoming
“Following the swarm: olfactory cues and dynamic species roles shaping mixed-species groups in ant-following birds”
Ava Ciaccia
University of Nevada, Reno
“Environmental lipid availability in a wild Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) population: Do long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in yolks correlate with fitness?”
Ericka Griggs
University of Vermont
“Breeding Partners and Spatial Proximity Structure Parasite Transmission in a Long-Lived Seabird”
Matthew Hack
University of Michigan
“Comparative patterns in annual cycle timing and structure of North American migratory passerines”
Kelsie Lopez
Harvard University
“Pangenomes enable population scale genotyping of structural variation in a Neotropical dry forest tody-tyrant flycatcher, Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer“
Kevin Perozeni
Texas A&M
“Surviving the storm: Impacts of the Gulf Coast Blizzard on overwintering Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata)”
Rachel Ruggera
University of Montana
“Hummingbird flight behavior and thermoregulation at challenging environmental temperatures”
Scott Walters
University of Western Ontario
“Isotopic and fatty acid responses of American Dippers (Cinclus mexicanus) to marine connectivity in a restored riparian ecosystem and surrounding watersheds”