Helen is Curator-in-Charge of the bird collection at the National Museum of Natural History.  She studied archaeology and biological anthropology as an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas, but quickly turned to collecting and studying fossil birds after graduation.  She obtained her DPhil degree in Zoology from Oxford University.  She writes scientific papers about the fossil record of birds on islands, especially the Hawaiian Islands, and the evolutionary relationships among birds.  Her primary interest is in understanding the history of vertebrate evolution and extinction in the context of Pacific island ecosystems.  More recently, her research has addressed the ecological roles of seabirds, both at their breeding colonies on islands and at sea where they are important oceanic predators.

Article

• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., and Wiebe, Karen. 2024. "2024 AOS Elliott Coues Award to Rebecca T. Kimball." Ornithology, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukae039. 2024
• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., and Wiebe, Karen. 2024. "2024 AOS William Brewster Memorial Awards to Juan Carlos Reboreda and Renée Duckworth." Ornithology, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukae038. 2024
• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., Williams, Tony D., and Wiebe, Karen. 2023. "2023 AOS Elliott Coues Award to Gregory F. Ball and Jacques Balthazart." Ornithology, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukad040. 2023
• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., Williams, Tony D., and Wiebe, Karen. 2023. "2023 AOS Loye and Alden Miller Research Award to Vicki Friesen." Ornithological Applications, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duad039. 2023
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• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., Williams, Tony D., and Wiebe, Karen. 2022. "2022 AOS Elliott Coues Award to Bruce Lyon and Bridget Stutchbury." Ornithology, 139, (4). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukac036. 2022
• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., Williams, Tony D., and Wiebe, Karen. 2022. "2022 AOS Loye and Alden Miller Research Award to John Wingfield." Ornithological Applications, 124, (4). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duac028. 2022
• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., Williams, Tony D., and Wiebe, Karen. 2022. "2022 AOS Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award to David Ainley and to Lindsay Young and Eric VanderWerf." Ornithology, 139, (4). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukac037. 2022
• Leonard, Marty, Hauber, Mark, James, Helen F., Williams, Tony D., and Wiebe, Karen. 2022. "2022 AOS William Brewster Memorial Award to Roxana Torres and Amanda Rodewald." Ornithology, 139, (4). https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukac035. 2022
• Fleischer, Robert C., Campana, Michael G., and James, Helen F. 2022. "Hawaiian songbird radiations." Current Biology, 32, (20) R1070–R1072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.057. 2022
• Obiol, Joan Ferrer, James, Helen F., Chesser, R. Terry, Bretagnolle, Vincent, Gonzalez-Solis, Jacob, Rozas, Julio, Welch, Andreanna J., and Riutort, Marta. 2022. "Palaeoceanographic changes in the late Pliocene promoted rapid diversification in pelagic seabirds." Journal of Biogeography, 49, (1) 171–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14291. 2022
• Obiol, Joan Ferrer, James, Helen F., Chesser, R. Terry, Bretagnolle, Vincent, González-Solís, Jacob, Rozas, Julio, Riutort, Marta, and Welch, Andreanna J. 2021. "Integrating Sequence Capture and Restriction Site-Associated DNA Sequencing to Resolve Recent Radiations of Pelagic Seabirds." Systematic Biology, 70, (5) 976–996. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syaa101. 2021
• Douglass, Kristina, Bulathsinhala, Priyangi, Feo, Teresa J., Tighe, Tim, Whittaker, Scott, Brand, Zanell, James, Helen F., and Rick, Torben. 2021. "Modeling avian eggshell microstructure to predict ontogenetic age and reveal patterns of human-avifauna interaction." Journal of Archaeological Science, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105442. 2021
• Early, Catherine M., Morhardt, Ashley C., Cleland, Timothy P., Milensky, Christopher M., Kavich, Gwénaëlle M., and James, Helen F. 2020. "Chemical effects of diceCT staining protocols on fluid-preserved avian specimens." PLOS One, 15, (9) Article e0238783. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238783. 2020
• Morra, Kaycee E., Chikaraishi, Yoshito, James, Helen F., Rossman, Sam, Wiley, Anne E., and Ostrom, Peggy H. 2020. "Seasonality of decadal-scale trophic declines and nutrient regime shifts in the Laysan albatross and Newell's shearwater." Marine Ecology Progress Series, 654 163–175. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13504. 2020
• James, Helen F. 2020. "The Irvingtonian Avifauna of Cumberland Bone Cave, Maryland." Zootaxa, 4772, (1) 111–131. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4772.1.4. 2020
• Lavretsky, Philip, McInerney, Nancy Rotzel, Mohl, Jonathon E., Brown, Joshua I., James, Helen F., McCracken, Kevin G., and Fleischer, Robert C. 2019. "Assessing Changes in Genomic Divergence Following a Century of Human Mediated Secondary Contact among Wild and Captive-bred Ducks." Molecular ecology, 28, (24). https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15343. 2019
• Wiley, Anne E., Rossman, Sam, Ostrom, Peggy H., France, Christine A. M., Penniman, Jay, Bailey, Cathleen, Duvall, Fern, Zipkin, Elise F., and James, Helen F. 2019. "From ecologically equivalent individuals to contrasting colonies: quantifying isotopic niche and individual foraging specialization in an endangered oceanic seabird." Marine Biology, 166, (3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3483-7. 2019
• Morra, Kaycee E., Chikaraishi, Yoshito, Gandhi, Hasand, James, Helen F., Rossman, Sam, Wiley, Anne E., Raine, Andre F., Beck, Jessie, and Ostrom, Peggy H. 2019. "Trophic declines and decadal-scale foraging segregation in three pelagic seabirds." Oecologia, 189, (2) 395–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-04330-8. 2019
• Morra, Kaycee E., Wiley, Anne E., James, Helen F., Dutcher, Alex, and Ostrom, Peggy H. 2018. "Influence of Feather Selection and Sampling Protocol on Interpretations of Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) Nonbreeding Season Foraging Habits from Stable Isotope Analysis." Waterbirds, 41, (1) 93–100. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.041.0113. 2018
• Ostrom, Peggy H., Wiley, Anne E., James, Helen F., Rossman, Sam, Walker, William A., Zipkin, Elise F., and Chikaraishi, Yoshito. 2017. "Broad-scale trophic shift in the pelagic North Pacific revealed by an oceanic seabird." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284, (1851). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.2436. 2017
• Tokita, Masayoshi, Yano, Wataru, James, Helen F., and Abzhanov, Arhat. 2017. "Cranial shape evolution in adaptive radiations of birds: comparative morphometrics of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 372, (1713). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0481. 2017
• Linderholm, Anna, Spencer, Daisy, Battista, Vincent, Frantz, Laurent, Barnett, Ross, Fleischer, Robert C., James, Helen F., Duffy, Dave, Sparks, Jed P., Clements, David R., Andersson, Leif, Dobney, Keith, Leonard, Jennifer A., and Larson, Greger. 2016. "A novel MC1R allele for black coat colour reveals the Polynesian ancestry and hybridization patterns of Hawaiian feral pigs." Royal Society Open Science, 3, (9). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160304. 2016
• Danner, Raymond M., Gulson-Castillo, Eric, James, Helen F., Dzielski, Sarah A., Frank, David C., Sibbald, Eric T., and Winkler, David W. 2016. "Habitat-specific divergence of air conditioning structures in bird bills." The Auk, 134, (1) 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-16-107.1. 2016
• Thomas, Daniel B. and James, Helen F. 2016. "Nondestructive Raman spectroscopy confirms carotenoid-pigmented plumage in the Pink-headed Duck." The Auk, 133, (2) 147–154. https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-15-152.1. 2016
• Meijer, Hanneke J. M., Tocheri, Matthew W., Due, Rokus Awe, Sutikna, Thomas, Wahyu Saptomo, E., and James, Helen F. 2015. "Continental-style avian extinctions on an oceanic island." Palaeogeography palaeoclimatology palaeoecology, 429 163–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.03.041. 2015
• Hailer, Frank, James, Helen F., Olson, Storrs L., and Fleischer, Robert C. 2015. "Distinct and extinct: Genetic differentiation of the Hawaiian eagle." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 83 40–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2014.11.005. 2015
• Langenwalter, P. E. and James, Helen F. 2015. "Extinct and extirpated birds and other vertebrates in the faunal assemblage of Halawa Cave, a rockshelter in North Halawa Valley, O`ahu, Hawai`i." Hawaiian Archaeology, 14 65–78. 2015
• Thomas, Daniel B., McGraw, Kevin J., Butler, Michael W., Carrano, Matthew T., Madden, Odile, and James, Helen F. 2014. "Ancient origins and multiple appearances of carotenoid-pigmented feathers in birds." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281, (1788). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0806. 2014
• Thomas, Daniel B., McGraw, Kevin J., James, Helen F., and Madden, Odile. 2014. "Non-destructive descriptions of carotenoids in feathers using Raman spectroscopy." Analytical Methods, (5) 1301–1308. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3AY41870G. 2014
• Thomas, Daniel B., Nascimbene, Paul C., Dove, Carla J., Grimaldi, David A., and James, Helen F. 2014. "Seeking carotenoid pigments in amber-preserved fossil feathers." Scientific Reports, 4. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05226. 2014
• Rocha, L. A., Aleixo, A., Allen, G., Almeda, F., Baldwin, Carole C., Barclay, M. V. L., Bates, J. M., Bauer, A. M., Benzoni, F., Berns, C. M., Berumen, M. L., Blackburn, D. C., Blum, S., Bolanos, F., Bowie, R. C. K., Britz, R., Brown, R. M., Cadena, C. D., Carpenter, K., Ceriaco, L. M., Chakrabarty, P., Chaves, G., Choat, J. H., Clements, K. D., Collette, Bruce B. et al. 2014. "Specimen collection: An essential tool." Science, 344, (6186) 814–815. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.344.6186.814. 2014
• Ostrom, Peggy H., Wiley, Anne E., Rossman, Sam, Stricker, Craig A., and James, Helen F. 2014. "Unexpected hydrogen isotope variation in oceanic pelagic seabirds." Oecologia, 175, (4) 1227–1235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-2985-8. 2014
• Meijer, Hanneke J. M., Sutikna, Thomas, Saptomo, E. Wahyu, Awe, Rokhus Due, Jatmiko, Wasisto, Sri, James, Helen F., Morwood, Michael J., and Tocheri, Matthew W. 2013. "Late Pleistocene-Holocene non-passerine avifauna of Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia)." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33, (4) 877–894. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2013.746941. 2013
• Wiley, Anne E., Ostrom, Peggy H., Welch, Andreanna J., Fleischer, Robert C., Gandhi, Hasand, Southon, John R., Stafford, Thomas W., Penniman, Jay F., Hu, Darcy, Duvall, Fern P., and James, Helen F. 2013. "Millennial-scale isotope records from a wide-ranging predator show evidence of recent human impact to oceanic food webs." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110, (22) 8972–8977. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300213110. 2013
• Thomas, Daniel B., McGoverin, C. M., McGraw, K. J., James, Helen F., and Madden, Odile. 2013. "Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins." Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 10, (83) 20121065–20121065. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2012.1065. 2013
• Zhang, Zihui, Feduccia, Alan, and James, Helen F. 2012. "A Late Miocene Accipitrid (Aves: Accipitriformes) from Nebraska and Its Implications for the Divergence of Old World Vultures." PLOS One, 7, (11) 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048842. 2012
• Zhang, Zihui, Huang, Yunping, James, Helen F., and Hou, Lianhai. 2012. "A Marabou (Ciconiidae: Leptoptilos) from the Middle Pleistocene of Northeastern China." The Auk, 129, (4) 699–706. https://doi.org/10.1525/auk.2012.11227. 2012
• Welch, Andreanna J., Wiley, Anne E., James, Helen F., Ostrom, Peggy H., Stafford, Thomas W., and Fleischer, Robert C. 2012. "Ancient DNA reveals genetic stability despite demographic decline: 3,000 years of population history in the endemic Hawaiian petrel." Molecular biology and evolution, 29, (12) 3729–3740. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/mss185. 2012
• Wiley, Anne E., Welch, Andreanna J., Ostrom, Peggy H., James, Helen F., Stricker, Craig A., Fleischer, Robert C., Gandhi, Hasand, Adams, Josh, Ainley, David G., Duvall, Fern, Holmes, Nick, Hu, Darcy, Judge, Seth, Penniman, Jay, and Swindle, Keith A. 2012. "Foraging segregation and genetic divergence between geographically proximate colonies of a highly mobile seabird." Oecologia, 168, (1) 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2085-y. 2012
• Welch, Andreanna J., Fleischer, Robert C., James, Helen F., Wiley, A. E., Ostrom, P. H., Adams, J., Duvall, F., Holmes, N., Hu, D., Penniman, J., and Swindle, K. A. 2012. "Population divergence and gene flow in an endangered and highly mobile seabird." Heredity, 109, (1) 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2012.7. 2012
• Thomas, Daniel B., James, Helen F., Carrano, Matthew T., and Madden, Odile. 2012. "Searching for Evidence of Fossil Feather Color with Spectroscopy." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32 183–184. 2012
• Zhang, Zihui, Huang, Yunping, James, Helen F., and Hou, Lianhai. 2012. "Two Old World Vultures from the Middle Pleistocene of Northeastern China and their Implications for Interspecific Competition and Biogeography of Aegypiinae." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32, (1) 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2012.624146. 2012
• Lerner, Heather R L., Meyer, Matthias, James, Helen F., Hofreiter, Michael, and Fleischer, Robert C. 2011. "Multilocus Resolution of Phylogeny and Timescale in the Extant Adaptive Radiation of Hawaiian Honeycreepers." Current Biology, 21, (21) 1838–1844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.09.039. 2011
• Wiley, Anne E., Ostrom, Peggy H., Stricker, Craig A., James, Helen F., and Gandhi, Hasand. 2010. "Isotopic Characterization of Flight Feathers in Two Pelagic Seabirds: Sampling Strategies for Ecological Studies." The Condor, 112, (2) 337–346. https://doi.org/10.1525/cond.2010.090186. 2010
• Boyer, Alison G., James, Helen F., Olson, Storrs L., and Grant-Mackie, Jack A. 2010. "Long-term ecological change in a conservation hotspot: the fossil avifauna of Mé Auré Cave, New Caledonia." Biodiversity and Conservation, 19, (11) 3207–3224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9887-9. 2010
• Reding, Dawn M., Foster, Jeffrey T., James, Helen F., Pratt, H. Douglas, and Fleischer, Robert C. 2009. "Convergent evolution of 'creepers' in the Hawaiian honeycreeper radiation." Biology Letters, 5, (2) 221–224. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0589. 2009
• Iwaniuk, Andrew N., Olson, Storrs L., and James, Helen F. 2009. "Extraordinary cranial specialization in a new genus of extinct duck (Aves: Anseriformes) from Kauai, Hawaiian Islands." Zootaxa, 2296 47–67. 2009
• Harbaugh Reynaud, Danica, Wagner, Warren L., Percy, Diana M., James, Helen F., and Fleischer, Robert C. 2009. "Genetic Structure of the Polymorphic Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) Complex in the Hawaiian Islands Using Nuclear Microsatellite Data." PLoS ONE, 4, (3) e4698. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0004698. 2009
• James, Helen F. 2009. "Repeated Evolution of Fused Thoracic Vertebrae in Songbirds." The Auk, 126, (4) 862–872. https://doi.org/10.1525/auk.2009.08194. 2009
• Fleischer, Robert C., James, Helen F., and Olson, Storrs L. 2008. "Convergent evolution of Hawaiian and Australo-Pacific honeyeaters from distant songbird ancestors." Current Biology, 18 1927–1931. 2008
• James, Helen F. and Price, J. P. 2008. "Integration of palaeontological, historical, and geographical data on the extinction of koa-finches." Diversity & Distributions, 14, (3) 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00442.x. 2008
• Percy, Diana M., Garver, Adam M., Wagner, Warren L., James, Helen F., Cunningham, Clifford W., Miller, Scott E., and Fleischer, Robert C. 2008. "Progressive island colonization and ancient origin of Hawaiian Metrosideros (Myrtaceae)." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275, (1642) 1479–1490. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.0191. 2008

Chapter

• Wiley, Anne E., James, Helen F., and Ostrom, Peggy H. 2017. "Emerging techniques and sampling strategies for museum-based stable isotope studies of avian ecology." In The Extended Specimen: Emerging Frontiers in Collections-Based Ornithological Research.. Webster, Michael S., editor. 89–109. Boca Raton, FL: Studies in Avian Biology, no. 50. CRC Press. 2017
• James, Helen F. 2017. "Getting under the skin: A call for specimen-based research on the internal anatomy of birds." In The Extended Specimen: Emerging Frontiers in Collections-Based Ornithological Research. Webster, Michael S., editor. 11–22. Boca Raton, FL: Studies in Avian Biology, no. 50. CRC Press. 2017

Dataset

• Estandia, Andrea, Chesser, R. Terry, James, Helen F., Levy, Max, Ferrer-Obiol, Joan, Bretagnolle, Vincent, González-Solís, Jacob, and Welch, Andreanna J. 2021. [Dataset] Correlates of substitution rate variation in a robust Procellariiform seabird phylogeny. Distributed by Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/DRYAD.H18931ZM5. 2021
• Obiol, Joan Ferrer, James, Helen F., Chesser, R. Terry, Bretagnolle, Vincent, González-Solís, Jacob, Rozas, Julio, Welch, Andreanna J., and Riutort, Marta. 2021. [Dataset] Supplementary information for Paleoceanographic changes in the late Pliocene promoted rapid diversification in pelagic seabirds. Distributed by Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/DRYAD.QV9S4MWG2. 2021

Review

• James, Helen F. 2012. [Book review] "A Feather in the Cap of Science Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle." Bioscience, 62, (2), 206–207. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2012.62.2.16. 2012