SACRAMENTO BEE, BETHANY DANIELSPeter Marler, professor emeritus in the department of neurobiology, physiology and behavior at the University of California, Davis, died this month (July 5), following a long illness. He was 86.
Considered one of the world’s foremost experts on bird song, Marler earned his first PhD in botany at University College London. His fascination with animal behavior led him to a second doctorate degree, from the University of Cambridge, with a focus on bird behavior. During his career, Marler taught and conducted research at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Rockefeller University in New York City. Although he retired from his position at Davis in 1994, Marler remained an active member of the research community.
The animal behaviorist’s early work on bird song showed that many species had specific calls for danger, foraging, finding mates, or marking territory. Several calls also revealed signs of regional dialects, he showed. According to The New York Times, Marler ...
