Francesca J. Cuthbert grew up in the Great Lakes region and received a B.S. in conservation from the University of Michigan in 1969. She was introduced to larid research by William Southern and completed an M.S. in biology at Northern Illinois University in 1974 under his guidance. She studied parent-offspring recognition in Ring-billed Gulls for her thesis research. She received her Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Minnesota in 1981 for her study of the behavioral ecology of Caspian Terns. She was advised by H. B. Tordoff. She is a Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Minnesota, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan Biological Station, where she has taught “Biology of Birds” since 1981. In addition to studies on Caspian Terns, her research interests include ecology and conservation of other colonial waterbirds, Piping Plovers, and forest songbirds. Current address: Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108. E-mail: cuthb001@maroon.tc.umn.edu.
Linda R. Wires is a Research Fellow in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Minnesota. She earned her B.A. in 1987 and M.A. in 1989 in English literature and language from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago, respectively. She earned her M.S. in 1995 in conservation biology from the University of Minnesota, and conducted research on the denning habits of the San Joaquin kit fox for her thesis. She has also studied human impacts on migratory songbirds, and recently completed a detailed review of Caspian Tern distribution and population trends in North America. She is currently preparing a status assessment on the Double-crested Cormorant in North America. Current address: Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Minnesota, 1980 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108. E-mail: wires001@maroon.tc.umn.edu.
