FWS Scholar: Tom Cooper and the American Woodcock
Tom Cooper is the chief for the Division of Migratory Birds Program in the Midwest Region in Minnesota. As chief, Tom oversees population management and permits, and works with the Joint Venture of the Upper Mississippi-Great Lakes area.
Tom enjoys getting to work alongside landowners who want to restore habitats and make a difference for wildlife. He also likes educational outreach and is known as the “duck man” from his role teaching kids about migratory birds and various species.
Tom grew up in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania fishing and bird watching on the Susquehanna river. He enjoys hunting, fishing, fly tying, and being with his family. Tom earned his bachelor’s in biology from Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania. While studying for his degree, Tom volunteered at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Alaska. There he did field work studying geese populations and has worked with migratory birds ever since. He earned his master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science, and a PhD in biology, from South Dakota State University.
Tom has spent his career working with migratory birds and habitat management through the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He has built close relationships with private landowners to restore habitats, developed national conservation action plans for USFWS focal bird species, and recently published the article “Migratory Connectivity of American Woodcock Derived Using Satellite Telemetry” in the Journal of Wildlife Management.
The American Woodcock is a popular migratory game bird throughout eastern North America. It is perhaps most well known for the spectacular courtship dance that males do. In spring, these relatively obscure birds burst forth in flight and song, flying in wide arcs, and later plummet dramatically to the ground to land nearly on the spot where they began and then begin again. The species is managed on the basis of two populations: eastern and central. Both populations have experienced significant declines since mid-1960s. Tom’s research discusses these spectacular birds and the connection between their spring and autumn migration routes.
Tom and his colleagues were able to identify areas of high stopover concentration during their migration routes, which will likely be areas where habitat management will be most beneficial. Identification of these areas and when they are used by woodcock can help prioritize when and where to target conservation efforts for this declining species. This research was truly a team effort by the American Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse Society, Glassen Foundation in Michigan, Woodcock Limited, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and U.S. Geological Survey — Arkansas and Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units.
To learn more about American woodcock check out Cooper’s co-authored work entitled, “Migratory Connectivity of American Woodcock Derived Using Satellite Telemetry” found in the Journal of Wildlife Management; discoverable via USFWS Library. #FWSscholar
