Ravens, Wolves, and People: Lessons from a Life Studying Clever Birds

For more than four decades, John Marzluff has studied some of the smartest, most social birds on the planet: crows, ravens, and jays. His work has taken him from the suburbs to the wilds of Yellowstone, where he and his colleagues tagged 60 ravens to learn how they find food, claim territory, and live alongside wolves, pumas, and the people who visit the park. Along the way he’s shown that these birds are highly opportunistic, able to take advantage of wolves without depending on them, and that the line between “wild” and “human” landscapes matters a great deal to the animals that cross it.

Join us for an evening with one of the country’s leading voices on bird behavior and conservation. Marzluff will share what decades of research have taught him about how birds think, adapt, and survive in a changing world, and what that means for how we share space with them, whether in a national park or our own backyards.

About the Speaker

John Marzluff is James W. Ridgeway Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington. His graduate (Northern Arizona University) and initial post-doctoral (University of Vermont) research focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens, and he continues that theme investigating the intriguing behavior of crows, ravens, and jays. His current research focuses on the interactions of ravens and wolves in Yellowstone. He teaches Ornithology, Governance and Conservation of Rare Species, Field Research in Yellowstone, and Natural and Cultural History of Costa Rica.

Professor Marzluff has written six books and edited several others. His Welcome to Subirdia (Yale, 2014) finds that moderately settled lands host a splendid array of biological diversity and suggests ways people can steward these riches to benefit birds and themselves. His most recent, In Search of Meadowlarks (Yale, 2020), connects our agriculture and diets to the conservation of birds and other wildlife.

Dr. Marzluff has mentored over 40 graduate students and authored over 170 scientific papers on bird behavior and wildlife management. He is a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Team for the critically endangered Mariana Crow, a former member of the Washington Biodiversity Council, a Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a National Geographic Explorer.

About Virtually There

Virtually There, our popular online speaker series, connects you to the world of birds, wildlife, and conservation — right from home.

We bring together renowned scientists, dedicated biologists, acclaimed authors, and passionate conservationists who are eager to share their groundbreaking work and fascinating stories. Each program invites you to explore the wonders of the natural world while deepening your understanding of the challenges and triumphs of conservation.

Whether you’re a lifelong birder, a budding naturalist, or simply curious about the wild world around us, you’re virtually there with us — discovering, learning, and celebrating the beauty of avian life and beyond.

The Virtually There Speaker Series offers engaging, interactive programs that educate, inspire, and connect. We invite you to join us for another extraordinary year of discovery.

Donation Ticket Option

Attendance at Virtually There is always free, but if you choose the Donation Ticket, your gift directly supports Audubon Everglades’ avian conservation and education programs. Every contribution helps us protect local habitats, provide outreach to schools and communities, and bring meaningful programs like Virtually There to life. Your generosity ensures that we can continue connecting people with birds and the natural world while safeguarding critical habitats for future generations.

With Support

We are very grateful to Linda Macaulay for her support of this program. Linda and her late husband, Bill Macaulay, were longtime benefactors of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Lab’s Macaulay Library, the archive powering the Merlin Bird ID app, is named in their honor. Linda is herself one of the world’s foremost bird recordists, with nearly 6,000 recordings representing more than 2,800 species in the archive, and she serves as chair of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Administrative Board.