Bird Conservation Scientist
Marine
caitlin.andrews@tnc.org
As a Bird Conservation Scientist for The Nature Conservancy, Caitlin is helping to lead TNC’s involvement in the introduction of sihek (Guam kingfisher, Todiramphus cinnamominus) to Palmyra Atoll, an innovative conservation intervention aimed at restoring this Extinct in the Wild species back to the wild for the first time in over 35 years. This position is a partnership between TNC and the Zoological Society of London, where Caitlin also holds a position as an Honorary Research Associate. Caitlin’s responsibilities include advancing scientific and strategic decision-making for the translocation program; overseeing post-release monitoring and management of translocated birds; and maximizing knowledge gained from this project to further the field of reintroduction biology. She works in close collaboration with members of the sihek recovery program, including Guam Department of Agriculture Division of Aquatic & Wildlife Resources, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and International Union for Conservation of Nature. As part of TNC’s Island Resilience Strategy Team, Caitlin is also advising on the development of other conservation translocation efforts throughout the Pacific region.
Caitlin’s background is a blend of conservation biology, behavioral ecology, animal cognition, and decision science. She earned her BA in Organismic & Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University (2016) and PhD in Zoology as a Gates Cambridge Scholar at the University of Cambridge and Zoological Society of London (2021).
What Caitlin is working on now:
Caitlin is helping to lead TNC’s involvement in the introduction of sihek (Guam kingfisher, Todiramphus cinnamominus) to Palmyra Atoll, an innovative conservation intervention aimed at restoring this Extinct in the Wild species back to the wild for the first time in over 35 years.