About

BA, Dartmouth College; PhD, University at Albany (SUNY); Postdocs: Duke, Univ. Minnesota, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. UMBC Faculty 2000 - present. Australian National University 2007, 2010. UMBC Presidential Research Professor 2016-2019.

Research Interests

Evolutionary Biology - Molecular phylogeny and population genetics of closely related birds to study speciation and character evolution. Recent research has focused on the orioles (genus Icterus), as well as ravens (genus Corvus). Current project on the conservation biology of the critically endangered Bahama Oriole. http://www.birdscaribbean.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Omland-Bahama-Oriole-NAOCposter2016.pdf

Teaching Interests

Introductory biology, diversity, evolution, phylogeny, population genetics, animal behavior, conservation. Especially interested in teaching clear tree thinking as there is no "ladder of progress" in evolution.

Intellectual Contributions

Kearns, Anna M. Restani, Marco Szabo, Ildiko Schroder-Nielsen, Audun Kim, Jin Ah. Richardson, Hayley M. Marzluff, John M. Fleischer, Robert C. Johnsen, Arild Omland, Kevin E. (2018) Genomic evidence of speciation reversal in ravens vol. 9 NATURE COMMUNICATIONS

Stonko, Daniel C. Rolle, Lehron E. Scarselletta, Alexis L. Christhilf, Jennifer L. Rowley, Michael G. Yates, Shannan S. Shelley, Cant-Woodside Brace, Leslie Johnson, Scott B. Omland, K. E. (2018) New documentation of pine forest nesting by the critically endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi). Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

Johnsenl, Arild Kearns, Anna M. Omland, Kevin E. Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas. (2017) Sequencing of the complete mitochondrial genome of the common raven Corvus corax (Aves: Corvidae) confirms mitogenome-wide deep lineages and a paraphyletic relationship with the Chihuahuan raven C. cryptoleucus 10 vol. 12 PLOS ONE

Odom, Karan J. Omland, K. E. (2017) Females and males respond more strongly to duets than to female solos: comparing the function of duet and solo singing in a tropical songbird (Icterus icterus). vol. 154 1377-1395 Behavior

Cortes-Rodriguez, Maria Nandadevi. Sturge, Rachel J. Omland, K. E. (2016) Morphological and genetic variation of the Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) across its widely disjunct distribution in Central America vol. 128 22-31 Wilson Journal of Ornithology

Sturge, Rachel J. Omland, K. E. Price, J. Jordan. bernard, lohr (2016) Divergence in calls but not songs in the orchard oriole complex: Icterus spurius and I. fuertesi vol. 47 109-120 Journal of Avian Biology

Campbell, Susanna K. Morales-Perez, Alcides L. Malloy, John F. Mullerklein, Oliver C. Kim, Jin A. J, Odom K. Omland, K. E. (2016) Documentation of female song in a newly recognized species, the Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis) vol. 29 28-36 Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

Kearns, Anna M. White, Lauren Austin, Jeremy Omland, K. E. (2015) Distinctiveness of Pacific Robin subspecies in Vanuatu revealed from disparate patterns of sexual dichromatism, plumage colour, morphometrics and ancient DNA vol. 115 89-98 Australia Emu: Austral Ornithology

Odom, Karan J. Omland, K. E. Price, John J. (2015) Differentiating the evolution of female song and male–female duets in the New World blackbirds: Can tropical natural history traits explain duet evolution? vol. 69 839-847 Evolution

Friedman, Nicholas R. McGraw, Kevin Omland, K. E. (2014) Evolution of carotenoid pigmentation in caciques and meadowlarks (Icteridae): repeated gains of red plumage coloration by carotenoid C4-oxygenation. 3 vol. 68 791-801 Wiley Blackwell Evolution

Odom, Karan J. Hall, M L. Riebel, K Omland, K. E. Langmore, Naomi E. (2014) Female song is widespread and ancestral in songbirds 3375 vol. 5 na - online only Nature Publishing Group Nature Communications

Friedman, Nicholas R. McGraw, Kevin Omland, K. E. (2014) History and mechanisms of carotenoid plumage evolution in the New World orioles (Icterus) vol. 172 1-8 Elsevier Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology: Part B

Omland, K. E. (2013) Tree thinking: interpreting phylogenetic trees Princeton Guide to Evolution. J. B. Losos ed. Princeton, NJ Princeton University Press

Cortes-Rodriguez, Nandadevi Jacobsen, Frode Hernandez-Banos, B E. Navarro-Siguenza, A G. Peters, J L. Omland, K. E. (2013) Coalescent analyses show isolation without migration in two closely related tropical orioles: the case of Icterus graduacauda and Icterus chrysater 13 vol. 3 4377-4387 Wiley and Sons Ecology and Evolution

Hagemeyer, Natasha D. Sturge, Rachel J. Omland, K. E. Price, John Jordan. (2012) Incomplete song divergence between recently diverged taxa: syllable sharing by Orchard and Fuertes’ orioles 4 vol. 83 362-371 Wiley / Blackwell Publishing Journal of Field Ornithology

Jacobsen, Frode Omland, K. E. (2012) Extensive introgressive hybridization within the northern oriole group (Genus Icterus) revealed by three-species isolation with migration analysis 10 vol. 2 2413-2429 Wiley / Blackwell Publishing Ecology and Evolution

Omland, K. E. (2011) Random interbreeding between cryptic lineages of the common raven: evidence for speciation in reverse. Molecular Ecology vol. 20 2390-2402

Omland, K. E. (2011) Increasing evidence of the role of gene flow in animal evolution: hybrid speciation in the yellow-rumped warbler complex. Molecular Ecology vol. 20 2236-2239

Omland, K. E. Martin, Michael (2011) Environmental niche modeling reveals climatic differences among breeding ranges of Orchard Oriole subspecies vol. 166 404-414 American Midland Naturalist

Omland, K. E. (2011) Convergent gains of red carotenoid-based coloration in the New World blackbirds. Auk vol. 128 678-687