she/her/hers

Visiting Assistant Professor

Organismal Biology & Ecology

My Research Website

Research Interests

I study the impacts of climate change—and the strategies we use to mitigate those impacts—on animal energetics, behavior, demography, and distributions. I am especially interested in studying forest owl population and community dynamics in fire-disturbed habitat using bioacoustics and demographic surveys. 

Activities & Interests

I enjoy hiking, backpacking, and running with my dogs! I also enjoy playing DnD, reading, trying new recipes, and spending quality time with my loved ones. 

Publications

• Michaela L. Gustafson, Kate McGinn, Jeffrey A. Heys, Sarah C. Sawyer, Connor M. Wood, Rapid implementation and adaptive design of a large-scale monitoring program for a declining species, Biological Conservation, Volume 311, 2025, 111442, ISSN 0006-3207, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111442.
• McGinn, Kate, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Gavin M. Jones, Connor M. Wood, Stefan Kahl, Kevin G. Kelly, Sheila A. Whitmore, et al. 2025. “ Frequent, Heterogenous Fire Supports a Forest Owl Assemblage.” Ecological Applications 35(1): e3080. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.3080
• McGinn, Kate A., Joseph M. Eisaguirre, and Brian D. Linkhart. "Flammulated Owls Exhibit Diel Variation in Space Use." Journal of Raptor Research 58, no. 4 (2024): 513–520. https://doi.org/10.3356/jrr2388.
• McGinn, K., Zulla, C., Wright, M. et al. Energetics explain predator occurrence and movement in pyrodiverse landscapes. Landsc Ecol 39, 182 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-024-01970-5
• Bielski, Luca; Cansler, Alina; McGinn, Kate; Peery, M. Zachariah; Wood, Connor M. 2024. Can the Hermit Warbler (Setophaga occidentalis) serve as an old-forest indicator species in the Sierra Nevada? Journal of Field Ornithology. 95(1): 4.
• Kevin G. Kelly, Connor M. Wood, Kate McGinn, H. Anu Kramer, Sarah C. Sawyer, Sheila Whitmore, Dana Reid, Stefan Kahl, Aimee Reiss, Jonathan Eiseman, William Berigan, John J. Keane, Paula Shaklee, Lief Gallagher, Thomas E. Munton, Holger Klinck, R.J. Gutiérrez, M. Zachariah Peery, Estimating population size for California spotted owls and barred owls across the Sierra Nevada ecosystem with bioacoustics, Ecological Indicators, Volume 154, 2023, 110851, ISSN 1470-160X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110851.
• McGinn, K.A., Zuckerberg, B., Pauli, J.N. et al. Older forests function as energetic and demographic refugia for a climate-sensitive species. Oecologia 202, 831–844 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05442-6
• Kate A. McGinn, M. Zachariah Peery, Ceeanna J. Zulla, William J. Berigan, Zachary A. Wilkinson, Josh M. Barry, John J. Keane, Benjamin Zuckerberg, A climate-vulnerable species uses cooler forest microclimates during heat waves, Biological Conservation, Volume 283, 2023, 110132, ISSN 0006-3207, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110132.
• Kate McGinn, Stefan Kahl, M. Zachariah Peery, Holger Klinck, Connor M. Wood, Feature embeddings from the BirdNET algorithm provide insights into avian ecology, Ecological Informatics, Volume 74, 2023, 101995, ISSN 1574-9541, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.101995.
• Daily activity timing in the Anthropocene, Gilbert, Neil A., McGinn, Kate A., Nunes, Laura A., Shipley, Amy A., Bernath-Plaisted, Jacy, Clare, John D.J., Murphy, Penelope W., Keyser, Spencer R., Thompson, Kimberly L., Maresh Nelson, Scott B., Cohen, Jeremy M., Widick, Ivy V., Bartel, Savannah L., Orrock, John L., Zuckerberg, Benjamin, 2023/04/01, 2023, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 324-336, Volume 38 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.008
  
• Zachary A Wilkinson, H Anu Kramer, Gavin M Jones, Ceeanna J Zulla, Kate McGinn, Josh M Barry, Sarah C Sawyer, Richard Tanner, R J Gutiérrez, John J Keane, M Zachariah Peery, Tall, heterogeneous forests improve prey capture, delivery to nestlings, and reproductive success for Spotted Owls in southern California, Ornithological Applications, Volume 125, Issue 1, 3 February 2023, duac048, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duac048
• Kate A. McGinn, Fidelis A. Atuo, Gavin M. Jones, Brendan K. Hobart, Douglas J. Tempel, Sheila A. Whitmore, William J. Berigan, R.J. Gutiérrez, M. Zachariah Peery, Implications of non-ideal occupancy for the measurement of territory quality, Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 35, 2022, e02097, ISSN 2351-9894, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02097.

Regular Classes

BE106 - Biology of Animals

BE208 - Ecology

BE309/409 - Independent Research Blocks

BE440 - Special Topics in Organismal Biology and Ecology