About
Photo: Graham Montgomery
Joanna (she/her) is an ornithologist and ecologist studying conservation gaps caused by overlooking female birds. She is also interested in understanding anthropogenic change and whether sexes of birds are affected differently. Joanna is passionate about supporting underrepresented voices. She is a member of the Galbatross Project, a group of scientists, birders, writers, and conservationists spreading awareness about often overlooked female birds.
Joanna studied the endemic thrush ‘Ōma‘o during her masters at the University of Hawai‘i, Hilo. From 2013-2016, she worked for the Institute for Bird Populations in the San Francisco Bay Area as a biologist specializing in song birds and owls of the Sierra Nevada, where she got her start into ornithology as an undergrad at University of California, Berkeley. From 2016-2021, Joanna worked on climate change analysis and communications at the National Audubon Society.
When she is not working in R, Joanna enjoys running, camping, birding, and birding while running.
Find Joanna:
Contact: joannaxwu [at] ucla [dot] edu
Press
Why 'the most misunderstood birds in North America' are female. New York Times, September 2023.
See Stunning Images of Female Birds, Often Overlooked by Wildlife Photographers. Smithsonian Magazine, July 2023.
Slowing Down and Observing Female Birds. BirdNote Daily Podcast, July 2022.
This Month in Birding. American Birding Association Podcast, January 2022.
This Month in Birding. American Birding Association Podcast, June 2021.
A Bird’s Eye View of Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count. Science Friday, January 2021.
Celebrating Fall Migration as Birding Enjoys a Moment in 2020 (Profiled as a Galbatross, group aimed to raise awareness about female birds). Bay Nature, Fall 2020.
54% of Washington birds threatened by warming climate. KUOW Public Radio, October 2019.
U.S. parks may become more vital to birds as climate changes. The Wildlife Society, April 2018.
More Birds Expected for Majority of National Parks—Here's Why. National Geographic, March 2018.
Being a Bird Was Once a Simple Affair. Flying. Eating. Mating. But Now Their Habitats Are Under Siege. Mother Jones, March 2018.
National Parks Are About to Get a Bunch of Birds They Didn't Ask For. Earther, March 2018.
Birds And Climate Change: Study Predicts Upheaval In National Park Bird Species. National Parks Traveler, March 2018.
Climate change could drive bald eagles to extinction in Grand Canyon, study says. AZCentral, March 2018.
Media
How Wildfires Boosted by Climate Change Threaten Birds. National Audubon Society, September 2020.
Protecting the Birds of Hawaiʻi Amid Environmental Carelessness. National Audubon Society, May 2020.