V Darby Moore
Previous Projects
Hobson Lab's Parakeet Field Team
In 2022, I had the privilege to work with University of Cincinnati's Hobson Lab to assist with the lab's research exploring topics related to social hierarchy formation and the development of agonistic and affiliative relationships. During the spring field season, I collected data for a personal study about the effect of social rank on foraging behavior and presented a poster at the Animal Behavior Society's annual conference in San José, Costa Rica. A preliminary abstract can be found on the Publications page.
In 2019 and 2020, I served as the Bird Collections Manager at Macaw Recovery Network, an organization in Costa Rica dedicated to the conservation of the nation's endemic parrot species. I was responsible for leading a team of staff and volunteers to accomplish all breeding, husbandry, and healthcare tasks for a population of 200 Scarlet and Great Green Macaws. During my time as Bird Collections Manager, I developed an artificial incubation program to diagnose egg fertility problems and increase hatch rate, and developed innovative breeding strategies that increased breeding success by 260% from the previous year.
Macaw Recovery Network
During the years following my role at Macaw Recovery Network, I have worked with multiple zoos, bird parks, and ecotourism companies to further wildlife conservation initiatives both in captivity and in the wild. I have worked with Zoo Tampa, Sylvan Heights Bird Park and Waterfowl Breeding Center, and Wildlife Carolina to facilitate the breeding of endangered species and educate the public about the importance of conservation.
Zoos, Bird Parks, and Ecotourism
In 2017, I began my career in avian conservation and behavior while working at Belize Bird Rescue. I was responsible for rehabilitation and husbandry tasks for endemic birds across taxa as well as hand-rearing endangered Yellow-Headed Amazon chicks confiscated by the Forestry Department. During subsequent field seasons, I participated in the release of captive-raised juveniles, post-release monitoring, and nest-monitoring for wild parents and their chicks. I also gathered data for the Yellowhead Project's study concerning causes of nest failure in wild Yellow-Headed Amazon nests in Rio Bravo, Belize. I keep in regular contact with Belize Bird Rescue, help with husbandry and chick-rearing when I can, and provide graphic design services for the organization's marketing and fundraising needs.
Belize Bird Rescue
and
Yellowhead Project
In 2018, I worked as an intern for San Diego Zoo Global's Keauhou Bird Conservation Center. During my internship, I learned important husbandry and aviculture skills and collected data for a number of PhD students' studies. Notable research projects included vocalization collection and analysis comparing vocal richness of captive and wild Palila Honeycreepers, data collection on mate choice in Akikiki Honeycreepers, and seed sample collection for post-digestion germination rates of native plants eaten by Hawaiian Crows.
Keauhou Bird Conservation Center
Though the primary focus of my career is avian behavior and conservation, I also work as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. I have worked for conservation organizations on four continents and have created promotional material for fundraising, company logos, and entire company brand manuals. Additionally, I have written and illustrated technical manuals on artificial incubation and hand-rearing neonatal macaws. Please email me at vdarbymoore@gmail.com for a copy of my portfolio.