Amy Scarpignato is a research ecologist and bird conservation specialist at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Migratory Bird Center, which is dedicated to understanding, conserving, and championing the grand phenomenon of bird migration. Scarpignato earned her bachelors of science in ecology and systematic biology from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo in 2003, and her masters of science in natural resources/wildlife biology studying the spatial ecology of common ravens from Humboldt State University in 2011. From 2003 to 2009, she traveled around the country as an itinerant field biologist, working on nearly 15 different research projects with many different species of songbirds, raptors, waterfowl and shorebirds. After graduate school, she started at the Migratory Bird Center and is part of the Migratory Connectivity Project, which works to improve the understanding of migratory connectivity, to promote full annual and life cycle biology research, and to advance the technological tools needed to track birds. Scarpignato grew up in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia region. She then spent many years out west and traveling the country. She has always had a passion and curiosity for science, nature and unraveling mysteries, such as why, how and where birds go. 

Article

• Roberts, Anthony, Scarpignato, Amy L., Huysman, Allison, Hostetler, Jeffrey A., and Cohen, Emily B. 2023. "Migratory connectivity of North American waterfowl across administrative flyways." Ecological Applications, https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2788. 2023
• Scarpignato, Amy L., Huysman, Allison E., Jimenez, Miguel F., Witko, Chad J., Harrison, Autumn-Lynn, Seavy, Nathaniel E., Smith, Melanie A., Deppe, Jill L., Wilsey, Chad B., and Marra, Peter P. 2023. "Shortfalls in tracking data available to inform North American migratory bird conservation." Biological Conservation, 286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110224. 2023
• Meehan, Timothy D., Saunders, Sarah P., DeLuca, William, V., Michel, Nicole L., Grand, Joanna, Deppe, Jill L., Jimenez, Miguel F., Knight, Erika J., Seavy, Nathaniel E., Smith, Melanie A., Taylor, Lotem, Witko, Chad, Akresh, Michael E., Barber, David R., Bayne, Erin M., Beasley, James C., Belant, Jerrold L., Bierregaard, Richard O., Bildstein, Keith L., Boves, Than J., Brzorad, John N., Campbell, Steven P., Celis-Murillo, Antonio, Cooke, Hilary A., Domenech, Robert et al. 2022. "Integrating data types to estimate spatial patterns of avian migration across the Western Hemisphere." Ecological Applications, https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2679. 2022
• Knight, Elly C., Harrison, Autumn-Lynn, Scarpignato, Amy L., Van Wilgenburg, Steven L., Bayne, Erin M., Ng, Janet W., Angell, Emily, Bowman, R., Brigham, R. Mark, Drolet, Bruno, Easton, Wendy E., Forrester, Timothy R., Foster, Jeffrey T., Hache, Samuel, Hannah, Kevin C., Hick, Kristina G., Ibarzabal, Jacques, Imlay, Tara L., Mackenzie, Stuart A., Marsh, Alan, McGuire, Liam P., Newberry, Gretchen N., Newstead, David, Sidler, Andrea, Sinclair, Pam H. et al. 2021. "Comprehensive estimation of spatial and temporal migratory connectivity across the annual cycle to direct conservation efforts." Ecography, https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05111. 2021
• Scarpignato, Amy L., Stein, Kristie A., Cohen, Emily B., Marra, Peter P., Kearns, Laura J., Hallager, Sara, and Tonra, Christopher M. 2021. "Full annual cycle tracking of Black-crowned Night-Herons suggests wintering areas do not explain differences in colony population trends." Journal of Field Ornithology, https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12369. 2021
• Ng, J. W., Knight, E. C., Scarpignato, Amy L., Harrison, A. L., Bayne, E. M., and Marra, Peter P. 2018. "First full annual cycle tracking of a declining aerial insectivorous bird, the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), identifies migration routes, nonbreeding habitat, and breeding site fidelity." Canadian journal of zoology, 96, (8) 869–875. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2017-0098. 2018
• Culp, Leah, Cohen, Emily B., Scarpignato, Amy, Thogmartin, Wayne, and Marra, Peter P. 2017. "Full annual cycle climate change vulnerability assessment for migratory birds." Ecosphere, 8, (3). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1565. 2017
• Scarpignato, Amy L., Harrison, Autumn-Lynn, Newstead, David J., Niles, Lawrence J., Porter, Ronald R., van, den Tillaart, and Marra, Peter P. 2016. "Field-testing a new miniaturized GPS-Argos satellite transmitter (3.5 g) on migratory shorebirds." Wader Study, 123, (3). https://doi.org/10.18194/ws.00046. 2016
• Rushing, Clark S., Ryder, Thomas B., Scarpignato, Amy L., Saracco, James F., and Marra, Peter P. 2016. "Using demographic attributes from long-term monitoring data to delineate natural population structure." Journal of Applied Ecology, 53, (2) 491–500. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12579. 2016
• Scarpignato, Amy L. and George, T. Luke. 2013. "Space use by Common Ravens in Marbled Murrelet nesting habitat in Northern California." Journal of Field Ornithology, 84, (2) 147–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12013. 2013

Book

• Marra, Peter P., Culp, Leah, Scarpignato, Amy L., and Cohen, Emily B. 2014. Full Annual Cycle Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment For Migratory Birds of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. 2014