Margaret Brittingham

Professor of Wildlife Resources

409 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
mxb21@psu.edu
814-863-8442

Research Summary

Avian ecology; avian response to oil and gas exploration and development; effects of habitat fragmentation on bird populations; managing wildlife on private land

Huck Affiliations

Ecology Institute

Publication Tags

Shale Gas Shale Fragmentation Habitat Gases Infrastructure Agricultural Land Appalachian Region Gas Birds Soil Bird Energy Pipeline Songbirds Songbird Food Program Acid Rain Conservation Areas Breeding Programme Vegetation Effect Canopy

Most Recent Publications

Experimental playback of natural gas compressor noise reduces incubation time and hatching success in two secondary cavity-nesting bird species

Julian Avery, Danielle Williams, J Avery, T Gabrielson, M Brittingham-Brant, Margaret Brittingham, 2021, Ornithological Applications on p. 1-11

There’s a New Bird in Town: Irruptions and Superflights

Margaret Brittingham, 2020,

Threshold responses of songbirds to forest loss and fragmentation across the Marcellus-Utica shale gas region of central Appalachia, USA

Laura S. Farwell, Petra B. Wood, Randy Dettmers, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2020, Landscape Ecology on p. 1353-1370

Birding and COVID-19

Margaret Brittingham, 2020, on p. 1

The birds at my table: Why we feed wild birds and why it matters

Margaret Brittingham, 2020, THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY on p. 72-73

2020-21 Penn State Tree Fruit Production Guide

R Crassweller, K Peter, G Krawczyk, J Schupp, T Ford, Margaret Brittingham, L LaBorde, J Harper, K Kephart, R Pifer, K Kelley, L He, P Heinemann, D Biddinger, M Lopez de Murphy, R Marini, T Baugher, D Weber, L Kime, 2020,

Habitat of Breeding Blackpoll Warblers at a Persistent Extralimital Breeding Site in Pennsylvania

Eric J. Zawatski, Douglas A. Gross, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2019, Northeastern Naturalist on p. 31-42

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) feeds Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings: Support for location-based decision rule

Danielle Williams, Margaret Brittingham, Margaret Brittingham-Brant, Julian Avery, 2019, Wilson Journal of Ornithology on p. 633-637

Birding the Sprirng Creek Watershed

Margaret Brittingham-Brant, 2018, Spring Creek Watershed atlas

Secret Life of Bluebirds

Danielle Williams, Margaret Brittingham-Brant, 2018,

Most-Cited Papers

Ecological risks of shale oil and gas development to wildlife, aquatic resources and their habitats

Margaret C. Brittingham, Kelly O. Maloney, Aïda M. Farag, David D. Harper, Zachary H. Bowen, 2014, Environmental Science & Technology on p. 11034-11047

Early trends in landcover change and forest fragmentation due to shale-gas development in Pennsylvania: A potential outcome for the northcentral appalachians

Patrick Joseph Drohan, Margaret Brittingham-Brant, J. Bishop, K. Yoder, 2012, Environmental Management on p. 1061-1075

Topographic and soil constraints to shale-gas development in the northcentral appalachians

P. J. Drohan, M. Brittingham, 2012, Soil Science Society of America Journal on p. 1696-1706

Linear infrastructure drives habitat conversion and forest fragmentation associated with Marcellus shale gas development in a forested landscape

Lillie A. Langlois, Patrick J. Drohan, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2017, Journal of Environmental Management on p. 167-176

Conventional oil and gas development alters forest songbird communities

Emily H. Thomas, Margaret C. Brittingham, Scott H. Stoleson, 2014, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 293-306

Bird community response to Marcellus shale gas development

Ethan P. Barton, Sarah E. Pabian, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2016, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 1301-1313

Effects of liming on forage availability and nutrient content in a forest impacted by acid rain

Sarah E. Pabian, Nathan M. Ermer, Walter M. Tzilkowski, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2012, PLoS One

Perspectives from the field: Oil and gas impacts on forest ecosystems: Findings gleaned from the 2012 goddard forum at Penn State University

Patrick Drohan, J Finley, Paul Roth, Thomas Schuler, Susan Stout, M Brittingham-Brant, Margaret C. Brittingham, Nels Johnson, 2012, Environmental Practice on p. 394--399

Pennsylvania's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program benefits ring-necked pheasants but not enough to reverse declines

Sarah E. Pabian, Andrew M. Wilson, Scott R. Klinger, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2015, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 641-646

Mixed responses of farmland birds to the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in Pennsylvania

Sarah E. Pabian, Andrew M. Wilson, Margaret C. Brittingham, 2013, Journal of Wildlife Management on p. 616-625

News Articles Featuring Margaret Brittingham

Oct 11, 2021

Pennsylvania listed a reclusive forest hawk as endangered, but one falconer believes there are more

Once numbering in the hundreds in Pennsylvania, state officials say there are too few northern goshawks to accurately count in the state today.

Full Article

Jul 16, 2021

Why Are Songbirds Across The U.S. Mysteriously Dying?

A mysterious disease has affected songbirds in many Eastern states this spring and summer. Scientists still haven’t figured out the cause. But while alarming, this isn’t unprecedented. Birds have faced die-offs in the past. And more broadly, birds throughout North America are facing severe population decline.