Elizabeth Craig
Dr. Craig directs the Isles of Shoals Seabird Ecology and Conservation Program, promoting the conservation of aquatic birds in the Gulf of Maine through management, monitoring, and student-driven research. As top predators, seabirds are sentinels of marine ecosystem function and ocean health. They are threatened by environmental contamination, coastal habitat destruction, overharvesting of resources, and climate change. Our team applies insights from seabird ecology to identify conservation challenges and guide management action in the context of a changing ocean.
Research Interests
- Migratory Animals and Birds
- Ecology
- Marine Biology
- Ornithology
- Wildlife & Habitat Management/Conservation
- Fish and Fisheries
- Birds - Habitat
- Telemetry
- Climate Change - Impacts
- Toxic Substances--Environmental
- Fieldwork
- Endangered Species
Selected Publications
Laird, L. S., Craig, E. C., Clucas, G., Taylor, V. F., & Chen, C. Y. (2024). Mercury bioaccumulation in three colonial seabird species in the Gulf of Maine.. Sci Total Environ, 947, 174438. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174438
Legett, H. D., Lucas, J. R., Craig, E. C., & Staudinger, M. D. (2023). Variation in isotopic niche partitioning between adult roseate and common terns in the Northwest Atlantic. Endangered Species Research, 50, 235-247. doi:10.3354/esr01233
Smith, O., & Craig, E. (n.d.). Effects of Atlantic butterfish ( Peprilus triacanthus ) in diets of Common Terns ( Sterna hirundo ): a case study of climate change effects in the Gulf of Maine. Avian Conservation and Ecology, 18(2). doi:10.5751/ace-02440-180201
Craig, E. C., Moore, G. E., & Seavey, J. R. (2022). Hypersaline spray increases habitat heterogeneity and nesting density in an island-nesting seabird. WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN, 46(3). doi:10.1002/wsb.1301
Caldwell, A., Brander, S., Wiedenmann, J., Clucas, G., & Craig, E. (2022). Incidence of microplastic fiber ingestion by Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) and Roseate Terns (S. dougallii) breeding in the Northwestern Atlantic. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, 177. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113560
Caldwell, A., Seavey, J., & Craig, E. (2020). Foraging strategy impacts plastic ingestion risk in seabirds. LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS, 5(1), 163-168. doi:10.1002/lol2.10126
Bracey, A., Lisovski, S., Moore, D., McKellar, A., Craig, E., Matteson, S., . . . Cuthbert, F. (2018). Migratory routes and wintering locations of declining inland North American Common Terns. The Auk, 135(3), 385-399. doi:10.1642/auk-17-210.1
Craig, E. C., King, D. T., Sparks, J. P., & Curtis, P. D. (2016). Aquaculture depredation by double‐crested cormorants breeding in Eastern North America. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 80(1), 57-62. doi:10.1002/jwmg.989
Craig, E. C., Elbin, S. B., Sparks, J. P., & Curtis, P. D. (2015). Identifying Important Foraging Habitat for Colonial Waterbirds in an Urban Estuary: a Stable Isotope Approach. Waterbirds, 38(4), 330-338. doi:10.1675/063.038.0410
Craig, E. C., Dorr, B. S., Hanson-Dorr, K. C., Sparks, J. P., & Curtis, P. D. (2015). Isotopic Discrimination in the Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus).. PLoS One, 10(10), e0140946. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140946
Craig, E. C., Elbin, S. B., Danoff-Burg, J. A., & Palmer, M. I. (2012). Impacts of Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and Other Colonial Waterbirds on Plant and Arthropod Communities on Islands in an Urban Estuary. Waterbirds, 35(sp1), 4-12. doi:10.1675/063.035.sp102