Andy Boyce is a Research Ecologist at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. His work focuses on 1) understanding how keystone species and grazing systems impact biodiversity in grassland ecosystems; and 2) what factors regulate populations of imperiled grassland birds at all stages of the annual cycle.

Boyce is interested in just about every aspect of how birds live, where they are found and how evolution shapes the way they reproduce and care for their young. Often, his work focuses on entire communities rather than on single species. Understanding how species that live together interact, and how the environment shapes which species are present and absent, are both critical to comprehending how nature works and vitally important for conservation.

Andy co-advises graduate students at the University of Montana, University of Georgia, Clemson University and University of North Dakota. He is always happy to discuss research opportunities with prospective students with mutual interests.

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• Oliver, Ruth Y., Yanco, Scott W., Ellis-Soto, Diego, Jesmer, Brett R., Cohen, Juliet, Gao, Song, Patchett, Robert, Avgar, Tal, Bildstein, Keith, Bakner, Nicholas W., Barber, David, Barker, Kristin, Barnes, Joseph G., Bastille-Rousseau, Guillaume, Belant, Jerrold L., Benson, John F., Bêty, Joël, Beyer, Dean E., Bird, David, Bowersock, Nathaniel, Boyce, Andy J., Carlson, Ben S., Casazza, Michael L., Chamberlain, Michael J., Cherry, Michael J. et al. 2026. "Interacting effects of human presence and landscape modification on birds and mammals." Science, 392, (6800) 879-884. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq3396. 2026
• Harrison, Autumn‐Lynn, Stenzel, Candace, Anderson, Alexandra, Howell, Jessica, Lanctot, Richard B., Aikens, Marley, Aldabe, Joaquín, Berigan, Liam A., Bêty, Joël, Blomberg, Erik, De Almeida, Juliana Bosi, Boyce, Andy J., Bradley, David W., Brown, Stephen, Carlisle, Jay, Cheskey, Edward, Christie, Katherine, Christin, Sylvain, Clay, Rob, Dayer, Ashley, Deppe, Jill L., English, Willow, Flemming, Scott A., Gilg, Olivier, Gilroy, Christine et al. 2026. "The collective application of shorebird tracking data to conservation." Conservation Biology, https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70194. 2026
• Knight, Elly C., Carlisle, Jay, Boyce, Andy J., Bradley, David, Cimprich, Paula, Coates, Stephanie, Dinsmore, Stephen J., Gregory, Cory J., Jorgensen, Joel G., Kelly, Jeffrey F., Newstead, David, Olalla, Alina, Powell, Larkin A., Scarpignato, Amy L., Tibbitts, T. Lee, Warnock, Nils, Wehtje, Walter, Marra, Peter P., and Harrison, Autumn-Lynn. 2025. "Delineating ecologically distinct groups for annual cycle management of a declining shorebird." Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14885. 2025
• Burton, A. C., Beirne, Christopher, Gaynor, Kaitlyn M., Sun, Catherine, Granados, Alys, Allen, Maximilian L., Alston, Jesse M., Alvarenga, Guilherme C., Calderón, Francisco Samuel Álvarez, Amir, Zachary, Anhalt-Depies, Christine, Appel, Cara, Arroyo-Arce, Stephanny, Balme, Guy, Bar-Massada, Avi, Barcelos, Daniele, Barr, Evan, Barthelmess, Erika L., Baruzzi, Carolina, Basak, Sayantani M., Beenaerts, Natalie, Belmaker, Jonathan, Belova, Olgirda, Bezarević, Branko, Bird, Tori et al. 2024. "Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape." Nature Ecology & Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02363-2. 2024
• McShea, William J., Cosby, Olivia, Boyce, Andy J., Herrmann, Valentine, Ragai, Rosalina, and Imbun, Paul Y. 2024. "The structure of terrestrial mammal communities along an elevation gradient in the tropics." Journal of mammalogy, 105, (6) 1392-1402. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae087. 2024
• Twining, Joshua P., Sutherland, Chris, Zalewski, Andrzej, Cove, Michael V., Birks, Johnny, Wearn, Oliver R., Haysom, Jessica, Wereszczuk, Anna, Manzo, Emiliano, Bartolommei, Paola, Mortelliti, Alessio, Evans, Bryn, Gerber, Brian D., McGreevy, Thomas J., Ganoe, Laken S., Masseloux, Juliana, Mayer, Amy E., Wierzbowska, Izabela, Loch, Jan, Akins, Jocelyn, Drummey, Donovan, McShea, William, Manke, Stephanie, Pardo, Lain, Boyce, Andy J. et al. 2024. "Using global remote camera data of a solitary species complex to evaluate the drivers of group formation." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121, (12) 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2312252121. 2024
• Jachowski, David S., Baldwin, Robert, and Boyce, Andy J. 2023. "Shifting the conservation Overton window." Conservation Biology, 37, (2). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14080. 2023
• Boyce, Andy J., Shamon, Hila, and McShea, William J. 2022. "Bison Reintroduction to Mixed-Grass Prairie Is Associated With Increases in Bird Diversity and Cervid Occupancy in Riparian Areas." Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.821822. 2022
• Shamon, Hila, Boyce, Andy J., Kunkle, Kyran, and McShea, William J. 2022. "Unique utilisation pattern responses of five sympatric ungulates to local phenological gradients." Wildlife Research, https://doi.org/10.1071/WR20185. 2022
• Ton, Riccardo, Boyce, Andy J., Mitchell, Adam E., Mouton, James C., Gobbo, Nonno R., Blake, William, and Tobalske, Bret. 2021. "Galliformes exhibit reduced cardiorespiratory morphology yet similar skeletal mass compared with other gamebirds." The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 133, (3) 426–434. https://doi.org/10.1676/20-00077. 2021
• Boyce, Andy J., Shamon, Hila, Kunkel, Kyran E., and McShea, William J. 2021. "Grassland bird diversity and abundance in the presence of native and non-native grazers." Avian Conservation and Ecology, 16, (2). https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01944-160213. 2021
• Shamon, Hila, Paraskevopoulou, Zoe, Kitzes, Justin, Card, Emily, Deichmann, Jessica L., Boyce, Andy J., and McShea, William J. 2021. "Using ecoacoustics metrices to track grassland bird richness across landscape gradients." Ecological Indicators, 120 106928–106928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106928. 2021
• Jablonski, Daniel, Lawson, Martina, Boyce, Andy J., Molls, Christian, and Das, Indraneil. 2020. "An assessment of vouchered records and field observations of the rare anguid, Dopasia buettikoferi (Lidth de Jeude, 1905) in Borneo." Herpetozoa, 33 59–65. https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.33.e51089. 2020
• Burner, Ryan C., Boyce, Andy J., Bernasconi, David, Styring, Alison R., Shakya, Subir B., Boer, Chandradewana, Rahman, Mustafa Abdul, Martin, Thomas E., and Sheldon, Frederick H. 2020. "Biotic interactions help explain variation in elevational range limits of birds among Bornean mountains." Journal of Biogeography, 47, (3) 760–771. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13784. 2020
• Boyce, Andy J., Mouton, James C., Lloyd, Penn, Wolf, Blair O., and Martin, Thomas E. 2020. "Metabolic rate is negatively linked to adult survival but does not explain latitudinal differences in songbirds." Ecology Letters, 23, (4) 642–652. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13464. 2020
• Card, Emily, Check, Courtney, and Boyce, Andy J. 2020. "Rediscovery of Rajah Scops-Owl (Otus brookii brookii) on the island of Borneo." Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 132, (3) 769. https://doi.org/10.1676/20-50. 2020
• Boyce, Andy J., Shakya, Subir, Sheldon, Frederick H., Moyle, Robert G., and Martin, Thom E. 2019. "Biotic interactions are the dominant drivers of phylogenetic and functional structure in bird communities along a tropical elevational gradient." The Auk, 136, (4) Article ukz054. https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukz054. 2019
• Boyce, Andy J. and Martin, Thomas E. 2019. "Interspecific aggression among parapatric and sympatric songbirds on a tropical elevational gradient." Behavioral Ecology, 30, (2) 541–547. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary194. 2019
• Boyce, Andy J. 2018. "For some tropical birds, home is where the rot is." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16, (7) 420–420. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1944. 2018
• Boyce, Andy J. and Martin, Thomas E. 2017. "Contrasting latitudinal patterns of life‐history divergence in two genera of new world thrushes (Turdinae)." Journal of Avian Biology, 48, (4) 581–590. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.01113. 2017
• Martin, Thomas E., Boyce, Andy J., Fierro‐Calderón, Karolina, Mitchell, Adam E., Armstad, Connor E., Mouton, James C., and Bin Soudi, Evertius E. 2017. "Enclosed nests may provide greater thermal than nest predation benefits compared with open nests across latitudes." Functional Ecology, 31, (6) 1231–1240. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12819. 2017
• Martin, Thomas E., Oteyza, Juan C., Boyce, Andy J., Lloyd, Penn, and Ton, Riccardo. 2015. "Adult Mortality Probability and Nest Predation Rates Explain Parental Effort in Warming Eggs with Consequences for Embryonic Development Time." The American Naturalist, 186, (2) 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1086/681986. 2015
• Boyce, Andy J., Freeman, Benjamin G., Mitchell, Adam E., and Martin, Thomas E. 2015. "Clutch size declines with elevation in tropical birds." The Auk, 132, (2) 424–432. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-14-150.1. 2015
• Harris, J. B., Yong, Ding Li, Sheldon, Frederick H., Boyce, Andy J., Eaton, James A., Bernard, Henry, Biun, Alim, Langevin, Angela, Martin, Thomas E., and Wei, Dan. 2012. "Using Diverse Data Sources to Detect Elevational Range Changes of Birds on Mount Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo." The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 197–247. 2012