2024
Díaz, A., F. Hernández, J. E. Mohl, P. Lavretsky, and K. G. McCracken (2024). Phylogenomics, introgression, and demographic history of extant flamingos (Aves: Phoenicopteridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (in review).
Díaz, A., F. Hernández, P. Lavretsky, E. Bautista, and K. G. McCracken (2024). Population genomics of the Slate-colored Coot (Fulica ardesiaca) reveals isolation and genetic differentiation between low- and high-altitude populations with a high-altitude origin. PLoS ONE (in review).
Schell, E. R., G. R. Scott, N. J. Dawson, K. Winker, and K. G. McCracken (2024). Consistent changes in muscle phenotype and mitochondrial abundance underlie dive performance across multiple lineages of diving ducks. Journal of Experimental Biology (in review).
McCracken, K. G., H. B. Johnston, K. A. McCracken, R. M. Olson, J. A. Otero Soberon, R. H. Turpo Aroquipa, and L. Alza (2024). Comparability of hemoglobin concentration measurements from the HemoCue Hb201+ and Hb801 in birds and a mammal with and without nucleated red-blood cells. Journal of Field Ornithology (in review).
Diaz, A., E. Bautista, and K. G. McCracken (2024). Geographic variation in morphology and hematology of the Slate-colored Coot (Fulica ardesiaca) along the Andes of Peru. Waterbirds (in press).
McCracken, K. G., G. R. Scott, L. Alza, A. Astie, C. Bakkeren, E. Bautista, M Bulgarella, R. G. Cheek, B. A. Chua, N. J. Dawson, A. Diaz, C. M. Ivy, P. B. Frappell, C. Kopuchian, S. L. Laguë, J. N. Maina, V. Muñoz-Fuentes, E. R. Schell, M. M. Smith, R. J. Sprenger, P. L. Tubaro, T. Valqui, R. E. Weber, D. Wilner, R. E. Wilson, J. M. York, and W. K. Milsom (2024). Diving at high altitude: O2 transport and utilization in the Ruddy Duck and Torrent Duck in the Andes. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University 93:1-77.
Graham, A. M., P. Lavretsky, R. E. Wilson, and K. G. McCracken (2024). High-altitude adaptation is accompanied by strong signatures of purifying selection in the mitochondrial genomes of three Andean waterfowl. PLoS ONE 19:e0294842.
Schell, E. R., J. White, and K. G. McCracken (2024). Blood- and muscle-O2 storage capacity in North American diving ducks. Journal of Avian Biology e03186.
2023
Schell, E. R., K. G. McCracken, G. R. Scott, J. White, P. Lavretsky, and N. J. Dawson (2023). Consistent changes in muscle metabolism underlie dive performance across multiple lineages of diving ducks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290:20231466.
Spaulding, F., J. F. McLaughlin, K. G. McCracken, T. C. Glenn, and K. Winker (2023). Population genomics indicate three different modes of divergence and speciation with gene flow in the green-winged teal duck complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 182, 107773.
Hruska, J. P., J. Holmes, C. Oliveros, S. Shakya, P. Lavretsky, K. G. McCracken, F. H. Sheldon, and R. G. Moyle (2023). Ultraconserved elements resolve the phylogeny and corroborate patterns of molecular rate variation in herons (Aves: Ardeidae). Ornithology 140, ukad005.
2021
Graham, A. M., J. L. Peters, R. E. Wilson, V. Muñoz-Fuentes, A. J. Green, D. A. Dorfsman, T. H. Valqui, K. Winker, and K. G. McCracken (2021). Adaptive introgression of the beta-globin cluster in two Andean waterfowl. Heredity 127:107-123.
Winner of the Best Student Paper in Heredity for 2021
Avian Hybrids – Adaptive introgression between two high-altitude duck species
Milson, W. K., G. R. Scott, P. B. Frappell, and K. G. McCracken (2021). Different strategies for convective O2 transport in high altitude birds: A graphical analysis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular and Integrative Physiology 253, 110871
Special Issue on Comparative Physiology and the Legacy of August Krogh, 1920-2020
2020
Dawson, N. J., L. Alza, G. Nandal, G. R. Scott, and K. G. McCracken (2020). Convergent changes in muscle physiology depend on duration of high-altitude ancestry across Andean waterfowl. eLife 9:e56259.
Bakkeren, C., E. Smith, J. M. York, B. Chua, K. G. McCracken, and W. K. Milsom (2020). A morphometric analysis of the lungs of high-altitude ducks and geese. Journal of Anatomy 237:188-196.
Laguë, S. L., C. M. Ivy, J. M. York, B. A. Chua, L. Alza, R. Cheek, N. J. Dawson, P. B. Frappell, A. P. Farrell, K. G. McCracken, G. R. Scott, and W. K. Milsom (2020). Cardiovascular responses to progressive hypoxia in ducks native to high altitude in the Andes. Journal of Experimental Biology 223, jeb211250.
Song, S. J., J. G. Sanders, F. Delsuc, J. Metcalf, K. Amato, M. W. Taylor, F. Mazel, H. L. Lutz, K. Winker, G. R. Graves, G. Humphrey, J. A. Gilbert, S. J. Hackett, K. P. White, H. R. Skeen, S. M. Kurtis, J. Withrow, T. Braile, M. Miller, K. G. McCracken, J. M. Maley, V. O. Ezenwa, A. Williams, J. M. Blanton, V. J. McKenzie, and R. Knight (2020). Comparative analyses of vertebrate gut microbiomes reveal convergence between birds and bats. mBio 11:e02901-19.
EurekAlert! – The Birds and the Bats: Evolving to Fly May Have Had Big Effect on Gut Microbiome
Nature Reviews Microbiology – Host–Microbiome Interactions Lost During Flight
ScienceDaily – Birds and Bats Have Strange Gut Microbiomes — Probably Because They Can Fly
ZME SCIENCE – Birds and Bats Have Very Weird Gut Bacteria, and It’s Likely Linked to Flying
Lavretsky, P., N. Rotzel McInerney, J. E. Mohl, J. I. Brown, H. F. James, K. G. McCracken, and R. C. Fleischer (2020). Assessing changes in genomic divergence following a century of human-mediated secondary contact among wild and captive‐bred ducks. Molecular Ecology 29:578-595.
2019
Alza, L., P. Lavretsky, J. L. Peters, G. Cerón, M. Smith, C. Kopuchian, A. Astie, and K. G. McCracken (2019). Old divergence and restricted gene flow between Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata) subspecies in the Central and Southern Andes. Ecology and Evolution 9:9961-9976.
Avian Hybrids – Testing for gene flow between Torrent Ducks in Peru and Argentina
Gutiérrez-Pinto, N., K. G. McCracken, P. Tubaro, C. Kopuchian, A. Astie, and C. D. Cadena. (2019) Molecular, niche, and morphological differentiation among Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata) populations in the Andes. Zoologica Scripta 48:589-604.
Avian Hybrids – Adventures in the Andes: The Tantalizing Tale of the Torrent Duck
Ciencia Café Pa Sumercé – Interview
Campagna, L., K. G. McCracken, and I. J. Lovette. (2019) Gradual evolution towards flightlessness in steamer ducks. Evolution 73:1916-1926.
Nature – Genomic Mechanisms for the Evolution of Flightlessness in Steamer Ducks
Kulikova, I. V., Y. N. Zhuravlev, I. G. Korobitsyn, G. A. Nemkova, K. G. McCracken, and J. L. Peters (2019). Holarctic phylogeographic structure of Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope). Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding 23:362-369.
Lavretsky, P., J. M. DaCosta, M. D. Sorenson, K. G. McCracken, and J. L. Peters. (2019) ddRAD-seq data reveal significant genome-wide population structure and divergent genomic regions that distinguish the Mallard and close relatives in North America. Molecular Ecology 28:2594-2609.
Ivy, C. M., S. L. Laguë, J. M. York, B. A. Chua, L. Alza, R. Cheek, N. J. Dawson, P. B. Frappell, K. G. McCracken, W. K. Milsom, and G. R. Scott. (2019) Control of breathing and respiratory gas exchange in ducks native to high altitude in the Andes. Journal of Experimental Biology 222, jeb198622.
The Scientist Magazine – High-flying Ducks
Lavretsky, P., T. Janzen, and K. G. McCracken. (2019) Identifying hybrids and the genomics of hybridization: Mallards and American Black Ducks of Eastern North America. Ecology and Evolution 9:3470-3490.
Avian Hybrids – Are Mallards driving Black Ducks to genetic extinction?
Graham, A. M., and K. G. McCracken. (2019) Convergent evolution on the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway genes EGLN1 and EPAS1 in high-altitude ducks. Heredity 122:819-832.
2018
Lozano-Jaramillo, M., K. G. McCracken, and C. D. Cadena. (2018) Neutral and functionally important genes shed light on phylogeography and the history of high-altitude colonization in a widespread New World duck. Ecology and Evolution 8:6515-6528.
Cheek, R. G., L. Alza, and K. G. McCracken. (2018) Down feather structure varies between high- and low-altitude Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata) in the Andes. Ornitologia Neotropical 29:27-35.
Ivy, C. M., J. M. York, S. L. Laguë, B. A. Chua, L. Alza, K. G. McCracken, W. K. Milsom, and G. R. Scott. (2018) Validation of a pulse oxymetry system for high-altitude waterfowl by examining the hypoxia responses of the Andean Goose (Chloephaga melanoptera). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 91:859-867.
York, J. M., M. Scadeng, K. G. McCracken, and W. K. Milsom. (2018) Respiratory mechanics and morphology of Tibetan and Andean high-altitude geese with divergent life histories. Journal of Experimental Biology 221, jeb170738.
Graham, A. M., P. Lavretsky, V. Muñoz-Fuentes, A. J. Green, R. E. Wilson, and K. G. McCracken. (2018) Migration-selection balance drives genetic differentiation in genes associated with high-altitude function in the speckled teal (Anas flavirostris) in the Andes. Genome Biology and Evolution 10:14-32.
2017
Laguë, S. L., B. Chua, L. Alza, G. R. Scott, P. B. Frappell, Y. Zhong, A. P. Farrell, K. G. McCracken, Y. Wang, and W. K. Milsom. (2017) Divergent respiratory and cardiovascular responses to hypoxia in Bar-headed Geese and Andean birds. Journal of Experimental Biology 220:4186-4194.
Inside JEB – Andean and Tibetan Birds Crack Breathing Different Ways
Alza, L., E. Bautista, M. Smith, N. Gutiérrez-Pinto, A. Astie, and K. G. McCracken. (2017) Capture efficiency of Torrent Ducks by the active mist-net method. Wildlife Society Bulletin 41:370-375.
Maina, J. N., K. G. McCracken, B. Chua, J. M. York, and W. K. Milsom. (2017) Morphological and morphometric specializations of the lung of the Andean Goose, Chloephaga melanoptera: A lifelong high-altitude resident. PLoS ONE 12:e0174395.
York, J. M., B. A. Chua, C. M. Ivy, L. Alza, R. Cheek, G. R. Scott, K. G. McCracken, P. B. Frappell, N. J. Dawson, S. L. Lague, and W. K. Milsom. (2017) Respiratory mechanics of eleven avian species resident at high and low altitude. Journal of Experimental Biology 220:1079-1089.
Inside JEB – Birds Do Not Work Harder to Breathe
The Scientist Magazine – High-flying Ducks
Nelson, J. T., R. E. Wilson, K. G. McCracken, G. Cumming, L. Jospeh, P.-J. Guay, and J. L. Peters. (2017) Divergence and gene flow in the globally distributed blue-winged ducks. Journal of Avian Biology 48:640-648.
2016
Dawson, N. J., C. M. Ivy, L. Alza, R. Cheek, J. M. York, B. Chua, W. K. Milsom, K. G. McCracken, and G. R. Scott. (2016) Mitochondrial physiology in the skeletal and cardiac muscles is altered in torrent ducks, Merganetta armata, from high altitudes in the Andes. Journal of Experimental Biology 219:3719-3728.
News@TheU – Unique Adaptations Help Ducks Thrive in the Andes
Kopuchian, C., L. Campagna, A. S. Di Giacomo, R. E. Wilson, P. Petracci, M. Bulgarella, J. M. Barnett, R. Mattus, O. Blank, and K. G. McCracken. (2016) Demographic history inferred from genome-wide data reveals two lineages of sheldgeese endemic to a glacial refugium in the Southern Atlantic. Journal of Biogeography 43:1979-1989.
Living Bird Magazine – Saving a Species by Splitting It: The Case for the Ruddy-headed Goose
Escalante, G. C., A. D. Sweet, K. G. McCracken, D. R. Gustafsson, R. E. Wilson, and K. P. Johnson. (2016) Patterns of cryptic host specificity in duck lice based on molecular data. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 30:200-208.
Lavretsky, P., J. L. Peters, K. Winker, V. Bahn, I. Kulikova, Y. N. Zhuravlev, R. E. Wilson, C. Barger, K. Gurney, and K. G. McCracken. (2016) Becoming pure: identifying generational classes of admixed individuals within lesser and greater scaup populations. Molecular Ecology 25:661-674.
Toews, D. P. L., L. Campagna, S. A. Taylor, C. N. Balakrishnan, D. T. Baldassarre, P. E. Deane-Coe, M. G. Harvey, D. M. Hooper, D. E. Irwin, C. D. Judy, N. A. Mason, J. E. McCormack, K. G. McCracken, C. H. Oliveros, R. J. Safran, E. S. C. Scordato, K. F. Stryjewski, A. Tigano, J. A. C. Uy, and B. M. Winger. (2016) Genomic approaches to understanding population divergence and speciation in birds. Auk 133:13-30.
2015
Natarajan, C., J. Projecto-Garcia, H. Moriyama, R. E. Weber, V. Muñoz-Fuentes, A. J. Green, C. Kopuchian, P. L. Tubaro, L. Alza, M. Bulgarella, M. M. Smith, R. E. Wilson, A. Fago, K. G. McCracken, and J. F. Storz. (2015) Convergent evolution of hemoglobin function in high-altitude Andean waterfowl involves limited parallelism at the molecular sequence level. PLoS Genetics 11:e1005681.
2014
Peters, J. L., K. Winker, K. C. Millam, P. Lavretsky, I. Kulikova, R. E. Wilson, Y. N. Zhuravlev, and K. G. McCracken. (2014) Mito-nuclear discord in six congeneric lineages of Holarctic ducks (genus Anas). Molecular Ecology 23:2961-2974.
Gutiérrez-Pinto, N., K. G. McCracken, L. Alza, P. Tubaro, C. Kopuchian, A. Astie, and C. D. Cadena. (2014) The validity of ecogeographic rules is context dependent: Testing for Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules by latitude and elevation in a widespread Andean duck. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 4:850-862.
Peters, J. L., S. A. Sonsthagen, P. Lavretsky, M. Rezsutek, W. P. Johnson, and K. G. McCracken. (2014) Interspecific hybridization contributes to high genetic diversity and apparent effective population size in an endemic population of mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula maculosa). Conservation Genetics 15:509-520.
Bulgarella, M., C. Kopuchian, A. S. DiGiacomo, R. Matus, O. Blank, R. E. Wilson, and K. G. McCracken. (2014) Molecular phylogeny of the South American sheldgeese with implications for conservation of Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and continental populations of the Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps and Upland Goose C. picta. Bird Conservation International 24:59-71.
Lavretsky, P., K. G. McCracken, and J. L. Peters. (2014) Phylogenetics of a recent radiation in the mallards and allies (genus Anas): inferences from a genomic transect and the multispecies coalescent. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 70:402-411.
2013
McCracken, K. G., R. E. Wilson, and A. R. Martin. (2013) Gene flow and hybridization between numerically imbalanced populations of two ducks species on the subantarctic island of South Georgia. PLoS ONE 8:e82664.
Pruett, C. L., C. M. Topp, J. M. Maley, K. G. McCracken, S. Rohwer, S. Birks, S. G. Sealy, and K. Winker. (2013) Evidence from the genetics of landbirds for a forested glacial refugium in the Haida Gwaii area. Condor 115:725-737.
Topp, C. M., C. L. Pruett, K. G. McCracken, and K. Winker. (2013) How migratory thrushes conquered northern North America: A comparative phylogeography approach. PeerJ 1:e206.
Winker, K., K. G. McCracken, D. D. Gibson, and J. L. Peters. (2013) Heteropatric speciation in a duck, Anas crecca. Molecular Ecology 22:5922-5935.
McCracken, K. G., R. E. Wilson, J. L. Peters, K. Winker, and A. R. Martin. (2013) Late Pleistocene colonization of South Georgia by Yellow-billed Pintails predates the Last Glacial Maximum. Journal of Biogeography 40:2348-2360.
Muñoz-Fuentes, V., M. Cortázar-Chinarro, M. Lozano, and K. G. McCracken. (2013) Stepwise colonization of the Andes by Ruddy Ducks and the evolution of novel beta-globin variants. Molecular Ecology 22:1231-1249.
Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, R. E. Wilson, M. Petersen, J. C. Williams, G. V. Byrd, and K. G. McCracken. (2013) Genetic structure of the Common Eider in the western Aleutian Islands prior to fox eradication. Condor 115:28-39.
Wilson, R. E., J. L. Peters, and K. G. McCracken. (2013) Genetic and phenotypic divergence between low- and high-altitude populations of two recently diverged Cinnamon Teal subspecies. Evolution 67:170-184.
2012
Peters, J. L., K. G. McCracken, C. L. Pruett, S. Rohwer, S. V. Drovetski, Y. Zhuravlev, I. Kulikova, D. D. Gibson, and K. Winker. (2012) A parapatric propensity for breeding may preclude the completion of speciation in common teal (Anas crecca, sensu lato). Molecular Ecology 21:4563-4577.
McCracken, K. G., Alza, L. A, McCracken, T. G., and Smith, M. M. (2012) Parasitism and joint incubation of Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta) nest by Yellow-billed Pintail (Anas Georgica). Ornitologia Neotropical 23:287-290.
Wilson, R. E., M. D. Eaton, and K. G. McCracken. (2012) Plumage and body size differences in Blue-winged Teal and Cinnamon Teal. Avian Biology Research 5:107-116.
Peters, J. L., T. E. Roberts, K. Winker, and K. G. McCracken. (2012) Heterogeneity in genetic diversity among non-coding loci fails to fit neutral coalescent models of population history. PLoS ONE 7:e31972.
Bulgarella, M., J. L. Peters, C. Kopuchian, T. Valqui, R. E. Wilson, and K. G. McCracken. (2012) Multilocus coalescent analysis of haemoglobin differentiation between low- and high-altitude populations of crested ducks (Lophonetta specularioides). Molecular Ecology 21:350-368.
2011
Booms, T. L., S. L. Talbot, G. K. Sage, B. J. McCaffery, K. G. McCracken, and P. F. Schempf. (2011) Nest-site fidelity and dispersal of Gyrfalcons estimated by noninvasive genetic sampling. Condor 113:768-778.
Wilson, R. E., M. D. Eaton, S. A. Sonsthagen, J. L. Peters, K. P. Johnson, B. Simarra, and K. G. McCracken. (2011) Speciation, subspecies divergence, and paraphyly in Cinnamon Teal and Blue-winged Teal. Condor 113:747-761.
McCracken, K. G., and R. E. Wilson. (2011) Gene flow and hybridization between numerically imbalanced populations of two duck species in the Falkland Islands. PLoS ONE 6:e23173.
Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, K. T. Scribner, and K. G. McCracken. (2011) Multilocus phylogeography and population structure of common eiders breeding in North America and Scandinavia. Journal of Biogeography 38:1368-1380.
2010
Guay, P.-J., R. T. Chesser, R. A. Mulder, A. D. Afton, D. C. Paton, and K. G. McCracken. (2010) East-west genetic differentiation in Musk Ducks (Biziura lobata) of Australia suggests late Pleistocene divergence at the Nullarbor Plain. Conservation Genetics 11:2105-2120.
McCracken, K. G., C. P. Barger, and M. D. Sorenson. (2010) Phylogenetic and structural analysis of the HbA (αA/βA) and HbD (αD/βA) hemoglobin genes in two high-altitude waterfowl from the Himalayas and the Andes: Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) and Andean Goose (Chloephaga melanoptera). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56:649-658.
Bulgarella, M., M. D. Sorenson, J. L. Peters, R. E. Wilson, and K. G. McCracken. (2010) Phylogenetic relationships of Amazonetta, Speculanas, Lophonetta, and Tachyeres: Four morphologicall divergent duck genera endemic to South America. Journal of Avian Biology 41:186-199.
Wilson, R. E., M. Eaton, T. H. Valqui, and K. G. McCracken. (2010) Ecogeographic variation in Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) along elevational and latitudinal gradients. Ornithological Monographs 67:141-161.
Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, R. B. Lanctot, and K. G. McCracken. (2010) Do waterfowl nest in kin groups? Microgeographic genetic structure in a philopatric sea duck. Molecular Ecology 19:647-657.
2009
McCracken, K. G., C. P. Barger, M. Bulgarella, K. P. Johnson, M. K. Kuhner, A. V. Moore, J. L. Peters., J. Trucco, T. H. Valqui, K. Winker, and R. E. Wilson. (2009) Signatures of high-altitude adaptation in the major hemoglobin of five species of Andean dabbling ducks. American Naturalist 174:631-650 – Supplemental Figures & Tables.
Pearce, J. M., K. G. McCracken, T. K. Christensen, and Y. N. Zhuravlev. (2009) Migratory patterns and population structure among breeding and wintering Red-breated (Mergus serrator) and Common Mergansers (M. merganser). The Auk 126:784-798.
Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, R. B. Lanctot, K. Scribner, and K. G. McCracken. (2009) Hierarchical spatial genetic structure of Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) breeding along a migratory corridor. The Auk 126:744-754.
McCracken, K. G., C. P. Barger, M. Bulgarella, K. P. Johnson, S. A. Sonsthagen, J. Trucco, T. H. Valqui, R. E. Wilson, K. Winker, and M. D. Sorenson. (2009) Parallel evolution in the major haemoglobin genes of eight species of Andean waterfowl. Molecular Ecology 18:3992-4005.
Bulgarella, M., N. C. Stewart, V. B. Fedorov, A. V. Moore, and K. G. McCracken. (2009) Hemoglobin transcript abundance in a bone marrow cDNA library of Crested Ducks (Lophonetta specularioides) in the Peruvian high Andes. The Auk 126:666-672.
McCracken, K. G., M. Bulgarella, K. P. Johnson, M. K. Kuhner, J. Trucco, T. H. Valqui, R. E. Wilson, and J. L. Peters. (2009) Gene flow in the face of countervailing selection: Adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia in the βA hemoglobin subunit of Yellow-billed Pintails. Molecular Biology and Evolution 26:815-827.
Schmidt, J. I., K. J. Hundertmark, R. T. Bowyer, and K. G. McCracken. (2009) Population structure and genetic diversity of moose in Alaska. Journal of Heredity 100:170-180.
2008
Wilson, R. E., and K. G. McCracken. (2008) Specimen shrinkage in Cinnamon Teal. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120:390-392.
Wilson, R. E., M. Eaton, and K. G. McCracken. (2008) Color divergence among Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) subspecies from North America and South America. Ornitologia Neotropical 19:307-314.
2007
Bulgarella, M., R. E. Wilson, C. Kopuchian, T. H. Valqui, and K. G. McCracken. (2007) Elevational variation in body size of Crested Ducks (Lophonetta specularioides) from the Central High Andes, Mendoza, and Patagonia. Ornitologia Neotropical 18:587-602.
Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, and K. G. McCracken. (2007) Genetic characterization of Common Eiders breeding in the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta, Alaska. Condor 109:878-893.
Wilson, R. E., S. A. Sonsthagen, C. P. Barger, and K. G. McCracken. (2007) Asymmetric molt or feather wear in Flying Steamer Ducks (Tachyeres patachonicus) from coastal habitats in Argentina. Ornitologia Neotropical 18:293-300.
McCracken, K. G. (2007) [Review of] Ducks, Geese, and Swans, Vol. 1 & 2. Quarterly Review of Biology 82:157.
Brennan, P. L. R., R. O. Prum, K. G. McCracken, M. D. Sorenson, R. E. Wilson, and T. R. Birkhead. (2007) Coevolution of male and female genital morphology in waterfowl. PLoS ONE 2:e419.
New York Times – In Ducks, War of the Sexes Plays Out in the Evolution of Genitalia
Winker, K. , K. G. McCracken, D. D. Gibson, C. L. Pruett, R. Meier, F. Huettmann, M. Wege, I. V. Kulikova, Y. N. Zhuravlev, M. L. Perdue, E. Spackman, D. L. Suarez , and D. E. Swayne. (2007) Movement of birds and avian influenza from Asia to Alaska. Emerging Infectious Diseseases 13:547-552.
Spackman, E., K. G. McCracken, K. Winker, and D. E. Swayne. (2007) An avian influenza virus from waterfowl in South America contains genes from North American avian and equine lineages. Avian Diseases 51:273-274.
2006
Wilson, R. E., T. H. Valqui, and K. G. McCracken. (2006) Aberrant plumage in the Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica. Wildfowl 56:192-196.
Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, R. B. Lanctot, K. T. Scribner, and K. G. McCracken. (2006) Population genetic structure of Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) nesting on coastal barrier islands adjacent to oil facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service, Final Report OCS Study MMS 2006-40:1-94.
Spackman, E., K. G. McCracken, K. Winker, and D. E Swayne. (2006) H7N3 avian influenza virus found in a South American wild duck is related to the Chilean 2002 poultry outbreak, contains genes from equine and North American wild bird lineages, and is adapted to domestic turkeys. Journal of Virology 80:7760–7764.
Johnson, K. P., M. Kennedy, and K. G. McCracken. (2006) Reinterpreting the origins of flamingo lice: Cospeciation or host-switching. Biology Letters 2:275-278.
2005
Kulikova, I. V., S. V. Drovetski, D. D. Gibson, R. J. Harrigan, S. Rohwer, M. D. Sorenson, K. Winker, Y. N. Zhuravlev, and K. G. McCracken. (2005) Phylogeography of the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos): Hybridization, dispersal, and lineage sorting contribute to complex geographic structure. The Auk 122:949-965.
Peters, J. L., K. G. McCracken, R. E. Wilson, Y. N. Zhuravlev, Y. Lu, K. P. Johnson, and K. E. Omland. (2005) Phylogenetics of wigeons and allies (Anatidae: Anas spp.): The importance of sampling multiple loci and multiple individuals. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35:209-224.
McCracken, K. G., and M. D. Sorenson. (2005) Is homoplasy or lineage sorting the source of incongruent mtDNA and nuclear gene trees in the stiff-tailed ducks (Nomonyx–Oxyura)? Systematic Biology 54:35-55.
Callaghan, D., and K. G. McCracken. (2005) Musk Duck: Taxonomy pp. 213 in J. Kear (ed.) Bird Families of the World: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
McCracken, K. G. (2005) Musk Duck Biziura lobata pp. 213-217 in J. Kear (ed.) Bird Families of the World: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Callaghan, D., and K. G. McCracken. (2005) The stiff-tailed ducks and their allies: Taxonomy in J. Kear (ed.) pp. 343-346 in Bird Families of the World: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
2004
Wilson, R. E., S. D. Goldfeder, and K. G. McCracken. (2004) Bill sexual dichromatism of Yellow-billed Pintail (Anas georgica) and Speckled Teal (A. flavirostris). Ornitologia Neotropical 15:543-545.
Kulikova, I. V., Y. N. Zhuravlev, and K. G. McCracken. (2004) Asymmetric hybridization and sex-biased gene flow between Eastern Spot-billed Ducks and Mallards in the Russian Far East. The Auk 121:930-949.
2003
McCracken, K. G., J. Hemmings, D. C. Paton, and A. D. Afton. (2003) Capture methods for Musk Ducks. Wildfowl 54:211-214.
2002
McCracken, K. G., P. J. Fullagar, E. C. Slater, D. C. Paton, and A. D. Afton. (2002) Advertising displays of male Musk Ducks indicate population subdivision across the Nullarbor Plain of Australia. Wildfowl 53:137-154.
Audio of Ripper the ‘talking’ Australian duck rediscovered
2001
McCracken, K. G., R. E. Wilson, P. J. McCracken, and K. P. Johnson. (2001) Are ducks impressed by drakes’ display. Nature 413:128.
McCracken, K. G., W. P. Johnson, and F. H. Sheldon. (2001) Molecular population genetics, phylogeography, and conservation biology of the Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula ). Conservation Genetics 2:87-102.
McClellan, D. A., and K. G. McCracken. (2001) Estimating the influence of selection on the variable amino acid sites of the cytochrome b protein functional domains. Molecular Biology and Evolution 18:917-925.
2000
McCracken, K. G., D. C. Paton, and A. D. Afton. (2000) Sexual size dimorphism of the Musk Duck. Wilson Bulletin 112:457-466.
McCracken, K. G., J. Harshman, M. D. Sorenson, and K. P. Johnson. (2000) Are Ruddy Ducks and White-headed Ducks the same species? British Birds 93:396-398.
McCracken, K. G., A. D. Afton, and D. C. Paton. (2000) Nest and eggs of Musk Ducks (Biziura lobata) at Murray Lagoon, Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. South Australian Ornithologist 33:65-70.
McCracken, K. G. (2000) The 20-cm spiny penis of the Argentine Lake Duck (Oxyura vittata). The Auk 117:820-825.
McCracken, K. G., A. D. Afton, and M. S. Peters. (2000) Condition bias of hunter-shot Ring-necked Ducks exposed to lead. Journal of Wildlife Management 64:584-590.
Sheldon, F. H., C. E. Jones, and K. G. McCracken. (2000) Relative patterns and rates of evolution in heron nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Biology and Evolution 17:437-450.
1999
McCracken, K. G., J. Harshman, D. A. McClellan, and A. D. Afton. (1999) Data set incongruence and correlated character evolution: An example of functional convergence in the hind-limbs of stifftail diving ducks. Systematic Biology 48:683-714.
McCracken, K. G. (1999) Systematics, ecology, and social biology of the Musk Duck (Biziura lobata) of Australia. Ph.D. Dissertation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1998
McCracken, K. G. (1998) [Review of] Ruddy ducks and other stifftails: Their behavior and biology. Quarterly Review of Biology 73:362-363.
McCracken, K. G., and F. H. Sheldon. Molecular and osteological heron phylogenies: Sources of incongruence. The Auk 115:127-141.
1997
McCracken, K. G., A. D. Afton, and R. T. Alisauskas. (1997) Nest morphology and body size of Ross’s Geese and Lesser Snow Geese. The Auk 114:610-618.
McCracken, K. G., and F. H. Sheldon. (1997) Avian vocalizations and phylogenetic signal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA. 94:3833-3836.
1995
Sheldon, F. H., K. G. McCracken, and K. D. Stuebing. (1995) Phylogenetic relationships of the Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus) and White-crested Bittern (Tigriornis leucolophus) estimated by DNA-DNA hybridization. The Auk 112: 672-679.
McCracken, K. G., D. Amrol, N. Walker, and G. B. Craig, Jr. (1995) Ectoparasites from mammals of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Vector Control Bulletin of the North Central States 4:42-53.