🐦 JayLab

Advancing Corvid Research Through Collaboration

About Our Lab

JayLab is a leading ornithology research group dedicated to studying the Corvidae family, with a particular focus on jays, crows, and magpies. Our interdisciplinary team combines field observation, behavioral analysis, and genomic research to understand these remarkably intelligent birds.

Founded in 2024, we operate from multiple field sites across North America and collaborate with researchers worldwide to advance our understanding of corvid cognition, social behavior, and conservation.

Research Team

Our lab brings together researchers with diverse expertise in ornithology, ecology, and animal behavior.

  1. Robert D. French- Principal Imaginator
  2. Olek Wojnar- Senior Bird Nerd

📝 Exercise: Add Yourself to the Team!

Create a branch, edit www/index.html, and add your name to the researcher list above. Push your changes and watch your branch deploy to your-branch.jaylab.link!

Species We Study

Our research encompasses a variety of corvid species native to the Americas:

Cyanocitta cristata
(Blue Jay)
Cyanocitta stelleri
(Steller's Jay)
Aphelocoma californica
(California Scrub-Jay)
Perisoreus canadensis
(Canada Jay)
Cyanocorax yncas
(Green Jay)
Corvus brachyrhynchos
(American Crow)

Current Projects

Cognitive Flexibility in Urban Jays: Investigating how Blue Jays adapt their problem-solving strategies in urban versus rural environments.

Vocal Communication Networks: Mapping the complex vocal communication systems used by Steller's Jays in Pacific Northwest forests.

Climate Adaptation: Studying how changing climate patterns affect Canada Jay food caching behavior and reproductive success.