Dr. Rebecca Safran, Assistant Professor

University of Colorado at Boulder

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

CB334, Ramaley N395

Boulder, CO 80309

Office Phone :: (303) 735 - 1495

Welcome to our group’s web page!


We are broadly interested in how within-population dynamics shape larger scale patterns. For example, previous research has focused on how mate- and site-selection decision rules govern larger scale patterns such as breeding group size (e.g., see Safran, 2004, Safran and McGraw, 2004, Safran et al.. 2005 and Safran 2007 on settlement patterns). We expanded our empirical data on breeding groups of birds into a larger conceptual framework for illustrating the importance and utility of identifying fitness-related decision rules for explaining sociality ranging from cooperative breeding groups to facultatively social animals (see Safran et al., 2007).


Currently, our group is focused on explaining the evolution and maintenance of two phenotypic traits that are highly variable and differentially related to fitness within and across our study sites in North America, Israel and the United Kingdom. (Read more about our international research group).  We use a variety of experimental and molecular approaches to examine how hormones and genetic diversity are affected by behavior and morphology within and among our different study populations (see Safran et al., 2005 and Safran et al., 2008).

Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group


at the University of Colorado - Boulder

Primary Investigator - Rebecca Safran