Kevin Omland
Professor
Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences Bldg 425
Education
Ph D The University at Albany, SUNY 1995
BA Dartmouth College 1985
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
Broad interests in evolutionary trees and in the ecology, evolution, behavior and conservation of birds. Current focus on the conservation biology of several threatened or near-threatened orioles, especially the Puerto Rican Oriole. Ongoing work on female song, including comparing temperate and tropical oriole species. Previous research: Evolutionary Biology - molecular phylogeny and population genetics of closely related birds to study speciation and character evolution, especially orioles (genus Icterus) and ravens (genus Corvus). Book in press for Cambridge University Press (UK), “Understanding the Tree of Life”. Publication Fall 2025.
Keywords: phylogeny, tree thinking, tree of life, conservation biology, evolutionary biology, ornithology, ecology, evolution, animal behavior.
Teaching Interests
Biology 142: Introductory Ecology and Evolution; Biology 481: Avian Biology - Evolution, Ecology, Behavior & Conservation. More broadly: biodiversity, evolution, phylogeny, animal behavior, conservation. Especially interested in teaching clear tree thinking as there is no "ladder of progress" in evolution.
Selected Classes
- Spring 2024 BIOL 142 – Foundations of Biol: Eco/Evo
Intellectual Contributions
Omland, K. E.. (2025). Understanding the Tree of Life. This book is part of the Cambridge University Press series entitled "Understanding Life" Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Moyer, Michelle J., Ocasio, Michael D., Lenhert, Emerson F., Nieves Colón, Noelia A., Osorio, Eriberto, Bare, Ellie K., Ponce de León Laguna, Alberic, Molake, Bukola A., Costas Sabatier, Miguel J., Evans, Brian S., Morales Pérez, Alcides L.., Omland, Kevin E. (2024). Acoustic features, syllable usage, and song rates of male and female song in a tropical island songbird, the Puerto Rican Oriole. e13534. 131 Ethology, Wiley.
Moyer, Michelle J., Neerchal, Nagaraj K., Lohr, Bernard, Leips, Jeffery W., Osorio, Eriberto, Bare, Ellie K., Raza, Aiman, Molake, Bukola A., Omland, Kevin E. (2024). Sex-specific responses to simulated territorial intrusions provide evidence for relaxed selection pressure on female song in Orchard Orioles. 3. 95 7 Journal of Field Ornithology.
Moyer, Michelle J., Rose, Evangeline M., Moreland, D'Juan A., Raza, Aiman, Brown, Sean M., Scarsaletta, Alex L., Lohr, Bernard, Odom, Karan J., Omland, Kevin E. (2022). Female song is structurally different from male song in Orchard Orioles, a temperate-breeding songbird with delayed plumage maturation.. 1. 93 Journal of Field Ornithology.
DeSaix, Matthew G., Connell, Eileen B., Cortés-Rodríguez, Nandadevi, Omland, K. E., Marra, Peter P., Studds, Colin E. (2022). Population genetics reveal migratory connectivity of the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla).. 134 381-389 Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
Sikora, Jonathan G., Moyer, Michelle J., Omland, K. E., Rose, Evangeline M. (2021). Large female song repertoires and within-pair song type sharing in a temperate breeding songbird. 2. 127 166-175 ETHOLOGY.
Rowley, Michael G., Stanley, Richard C., Antalffy, Janine M., Christhilf, Jennifer L., Stonko, Daniel C., Johnson, Scott B., Cant-Woodside, Shelly, Sillett, Terrence Scott., Fagan, Matthew, Studds, Colin E., Omland, K. E.. (2021). Hierarchical distance sampling reveals increased population size and broader habitat use of the endangered Bahama oriole. 1:5. 16 Avian Conservation and Ecology.
Antalffy, Janine M., Rowley, Michael G., Johnson, Scott B., Cant-Woodside, Shelley, Freid, Ethan H., Omland, K. E., Fagan, Matthew. (2021). Comparing global and local maps of the Caribbean pine forests of Andros, home of the critically endangered Bahama Oriole. 193 817 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.
Haines, Casey D., Rose, Evangeline M., Odom, Karan J., Omland, K. E.. (2020). The role of diversity in science: a case study of women advancing female birdsong research. 168 19-24 ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR.
Rose, Evangeline M., Coss, Derek A., Haines, Casey D., Danquah, Sheridan A., Hill, Rebecca, Lohr, Bernard, Omland, K. E.. (2020). Female song in eastern bluebirds varies in acoustic structure according to social context. 4. 74 BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY.
Kearns, Anna M., Joseph, Leo, Austin, Jeremy J., Driskell, Amy C., Omland, K. E.. (2020). Complex mosaic of sexual dichromatism and monochromatism in Pacific robins results from both gains and losses of elaborate coloration. 4. 51 JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY.
Lai, Yu-Ting, Omland, K. E., Pang, Er-Li, Hao, Yu, Liao, Ben-Yang, Cao, Hui-Fen, Zhang, Bo-Wen, Yeh, Chia-Fen, Hung, Chih-Ming, Hung, Hsin-Yi, Yang, Ming-Yu, Liang, Wei, Hsu, Yu-Cheng, Yao, Cheng-Te, Dong, Lu, Lin, Kui, Li, Shou-Hsien. (2019). Standing genetic variation as the predominant source for adaptation of a songbird. 6. 116 2152-2157 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Kearns, Anna M., Malloy, John F., Gobbert, Matthias K., Thierry, Aude, Boles, Walter, Driskell, Amy C., Omland, K. E.. (2019). Nuclear introns help unravel the diversification history of the Australo-Pacific Petroica robins. 131 48-54 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
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.
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. 9 Nature Communications.
Kearns, Anna M., Joseph, Leo, Thierry, Aude, Malloy, John F., Cortes-Rodriguez, Maria-Nandadevi, Omland, K. E.. (2018). Diversification of Petroica robins across the Australo-Pacific region: first insights into the phylogenetic affinities of New Guinea’s highland robin species.. Emu: Austral Ornithology.
Rose, Evangeline, Mathew, Thomas, Coss, Derek, Lohr, Bernard, Omland, K. E.. (2018). A new statistical method to test equivalence: An application in male and female eastern bluebird song. 145 77-85 Animal Behaviour.
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. 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).. 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. 128 22-31 Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
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). 29 28-36 Journal of Caribbean 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. 47 109-120 Journal of Avian Biology.
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. 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?. 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. 68 791-801 Wiley Blackwell: Evolution.
Friedman, Nicholas R., McGraw, Kevin, Omland, K. E.. (2014). History and mechanisms of carotenoid plumage evolution in the New World orioles (Icterus). 172 1-8 Elsevier: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology: Part B.
Odom, Karan J., Hall, M L., Riebel, K, Omland, K. E., Langmore, Naomi E. (2014). Female song is widespread and ancestral in songbirds. 3375. 5 na - online only Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications.
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. 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. 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. 2 2413-2429 Wiley / Blackwell Publishing: Ecology and Evolution.
Webb, William W., Marzluff, John J., Omland, K. E.. (2011). Random interbreeding between cryptic lineages of the common raven: evidence for speciation in reverse. Molecular Ecology. 20 2390-2402
Jacobsen, Frode, 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. 20 2236-2239
Omland, K. E., Martin, Michael. (2011). Environmental niche modeling reveals climatic differences among breeding ranges of Orchard Oriole subspecies. 166 404-414 American Midland Naturalist.
Friedman, Nicholas N., Kiere, L M., Omland, K. E.. (2011). Convergent gains of red carotenoid-based coloration in the New World blackbirds. Auk. 128 678-687
Research In Progress
Omland, K. E., Ocasio, Michael. “Conservation Biology of the Puerto Rican Oriole,” Scholarly (On-Going). Jun 1, 2022
Omland, K. E., Newtoff, Kiersten. “Breeding ecology of Eastern Bluebirds in urban versus rural habitats.,” . Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2030
Presentations
Omland, K. E., Moyer, Michelle J. American Ornithological Society Annual Meeting. Oral Presentation. "Invited Symposium Talk: Focus on Female Birds "Evolution of elaborate female color and female song in New World orioles"," American Ornithological Society. (Oct 1, 2024).
Omland, K. E. (Author & Presenter), Cant, Shelly (Author), Antalffy, Janine (Author), Rowley, Michael (Author), Fagan, Matthew (Author), Studds, Colin E (Author). Wilson Ornithological Society Annual Meeting. Oral Presentation. "Good News from a Caribbean Island Endemic: Downlisting the Bahama Oriole from “Critically Endangered” to “Endangered”," Wilson Ornithological Society. (Jul 1, 2023).
Omland, K. E. (Author & Presenter), Haines, Casey (Author), Rose, Evangeline (Author). Animal Behavior Society Annual Meeting. Oral Presentation. "Why diversity matters: gender biases and the study of female bird song.," Animal Behavior Society. (Jul 1, 2020).