Natalia Garcia
Postdoctoral Associate
Expertise
Bioacoustics • Behavior • Evolution
I’m a researcher from Argentina fascinated by various aspects of avian biology, and looking forward to integrating existing knowledge with future data to improve our understanding of the factors driving population trends in our ever-changing world.
For my Ph.D., I studied song and plumage color variation in a group of closely related buntings and grosbeaks. Working in a museum has had a profound impact on my career, as I continue to be captivated by the myriad of interesting questions that can be answered through collection-based research. I also thoroughly enjoy working in molecular labs and conducting fieldwork, striving to integrate these diverse approaches to study different aspects of bird behavior, evolution, and systematics.
I completed my first postdoc at the Cornell Lab, comparing the genomes of Empidonax flycatcher species pairs that appear almost identical and can only be distinguished by their songs. This research allowed me to identify areas of the genome and genes potentially related to differences in their vocalizations. Now, I’m back at Cornell for a second postdoc, working with the Birds of the World (BOW) project. BOW is already an incredible source of information, and we aim to elevate it further by making its data more accessible and user-friendly for various stakeholders, including researchers, conservation managers, policymakers, and others.
Education
Ph.D., Biological Sciences, University of Buenos Aires
Inspirational Bird
I have a tattoo of a bird endemic to South America on my right arm: the Glaucous-blue Grosbeak, Cyanoloxia glaucocaerulea. It’s one of the species I studied for my Ph.D.
