Mickey Pardo

​I am a behavioral ecologist interested in the intersection of animal acoustic communication, animal cognition, and the evolution of language. I use a combination of observation and non-invasive experiments with wild animals in their natural habitat to gain a window into the minds of my subjects and the intricacies of their social lives. I am also passionate about conservation biology and the use of bioacoustics as a tool for biodiversity conservation.

​I am currently an NSF-funded postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. George Wittemyer at Colorado State University, where I study vocal communication in African savannah elephants. I obtained my Ph.D. from the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, studying social cognition and vocal communication in the cooperatively breeding Acorn Woodpecker with Dr. Walt Koenig and Dr. Mike Webster. I received my B.S. degree in Environmental Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where I completed an Honors thesis on visual communication in Eastern gray squirrels under the supervision of Dr. Bill Shields.