Curriculum vitae
Borja Milá
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN) / National Museum of Natural Sciences
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) / Spanish National Research Council
Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, Spain
Tel: +34 914111328 x443485
Email: b.mila@csic.es
Web Page: www.borjamila.com
Born : Barcelona, Spain, 1968-06-02
SCOPUS ID: 6506776649
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6446-0079
ResearcherID: L-4867-2014
PhD (Doctorate) in Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA. Advisors: Robert K. Wayne and Thomas B. Smith. June 2005.
MA (Master) in Biology, Concentration in Ecology and Systematics, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA. Advisor: Thomas B. Smith. June 1999.
BS (Bachelor of Science) in Zoology, Cum laude, minor in Comparative Literature, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. May 1992.
2023-present Tenured Research Scientist (Científico Titular CSIC), Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
2022-present Gestor del Área Ciencias y Tecnologías Ambientales (Biodiversidad), División de Coordinación, Evaluación y Seguimiento Científico y Técnico, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain.
2021-present Deputy Director of Exhibits (vicedirector de exposiciones), National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
2018-2022 Tenured Scientist (Investigador Distinguido), Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
2023-present Treasurer, Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE).
2018-2024 Secretary, Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE).
2018-present Vicepresident, Scientific Committee, Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO-BirdLife).
2018-present Member of the Taxonomy Committee, Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO-BirdLife).
2014-2024 Professor, Master Program in Biological Diversity Conservation and Ecology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), Móstoles, Spain.
2000-present Senior Research Fellow, Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
2000-present Research Associate, Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly Point Reyes Bird Observatory), Sonoma, CA, USA.
2010-2017 Research Scientist, Ramón y Cajal Contract, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
2008-2010 Postdoctoral Researcher, I3P Contract, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
2007 Postdoctoral Researcher, Station d’Ecologie Experimentale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Moulis; and Laboratoire Ecologie et Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174 CNRS – Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
2005-2006 Postdoctoral Researcher, Robert Wayne Laboratory, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, California, USA.
1994-1999 Director, Latin American Program, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, CA, USA.
*: authors contributed equally.
Loera, Y., C. Gruppi, K. Swing, S. C. Campbell‐Staton, B. Milá, and T. B. Smith. 2024. Heavy metal contamination in birds from protected regions in the Amazon. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, In press.
Gabrielli, M., T. Leroy, J. Salmona, B. Nabholz, B. Milá*, C. Thébaud*. 2024. Demographic responses of oceanic island birds to local and regional ecological disruptions revealed by whole-genome sequencing. Molecular Ecology, 33:e17243.
Recuerda, M., M. Palacios, O. Frías, K. Hobson, B. Nabholz, G. Blanco, B. Milá. 2023. Adaptive phenotypic and genomic divergence in the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) following niche expansion within a small oceanic island. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, in press.
Friis, G., J. Vizueta, E. Ketterson, B. Milá. 2022. A high-quality genome assembly and annotation of the dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis, a recently diversified songbird. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 12(6): jkac083.
Friis, G, J. W. Atwell, A. M. Fudickar, T. J. Greives, P. J. Yeh, T. D. Price, E. D. Ketterson, B. Milá. 2022. Rapid evolutionary divergence of a songbird population following recent colonization of an urban area. Molecular Ecology, 31(9): 2625-2643.
Martínez-Renau, E., N. Rojas-Estévez, G. Friis, J. C. Hernández-Montoya, P. Elizondo, B. Milá. 2022. Haemosporidian parasite diversity and prevalence in the songbird genus Junco across Central and North America. Ornithology, 139: 1-17.
Mould, M. C., M. Huet, L. Senegas, B. Milá, C. Thébaud, Y. Bourgeois, A. S. Chaine. 2022. Beyond morphs: genetic and plastic influences on patterns of inter-individual variation in a color polymorphic bird. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 36(1): 82-94.
Recuerda, M., J. C. Illera, G. Blanco, R. Zardoya, B. Milá. 2021. Sequential colonization of oceanic archipelagos led to a species-level radiation in the common chaffinch complex (Aves: Fringilla coelebs). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 164:107291.
Milá, B., J. Bruxaux, G. Friis, K. Sam, H. Ashari, C. Thébaud. 2021. A new, undescribed species of Melanocharis berrypecker from western New Guinea and the evolutionary history of the family Melanocharitidae. Ibis, 163(4): 1310-1329.
Arida, E., H. Ashari, H. Dahruddin, Y. Sulistya Fitriana, A. Hamidy, M. Irham, Kadarusman, A. Riyanto, S. Wiantoro, M. Syamsul Arifin Zein, R. K. Hadiaty, Apandi, F. Krey, Kurnianingsih, E. H. P. Melmambessy, Mulyadi, H. L. Ohee, Saidin, A. Salamuk, S. Sauri, Suparno, N. Supriatna, A. M. Suruwaky, W. Tri Laksono, E. L. Warikar, H. Wikanta, A. M. Yohanita, J. Slembrouck, M. Legendre, P. Gaucher, C. Cochet, E. Delrieu-Trottin, C. Thébaud, B. Milá, A. Fouquet, A. Borisenko, D. Steinke, R. Hocdé, G. Semiadi, L. Pouyaud and N. Hubert. 2021. Exploring the vertebrate fauna of the Bird’s Head Peninsula (Indonesia, West Papua) through DNA barcodes. Molecular Ecology Resources, 21:2369-2387.
Benítez-López, A., L. Santini, J. Gallego-Zamorano, B. Milá, P. Walkden, M. A. J. Huijbregts, J. A. Tobias. 2021. The island rule explains consistent patterns of body size evolution across terrestrial vertebrates. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5:768-786.
Salinas, P., F. Morinha, J. García, I. Literák, B. Milá, G. Blanco. 2021. Genetic diversity, differentiation and historical origin of the isolated population of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in Iberia. Journal of Avian Biology, 2021:e02689.
Recuerda, M.*, J. Vizueta*, C. Cuevas-Caballé, G. Blanco, J. Rozas, B. Milá. 2021. Chromosome-level genome assembly of the common chaffinch (Aves: Fringilla coelebs): a valuable resource for evolutionary biology. Genome Biology and Evolution, 13(4):evab34.
Leroy, T., M. Rousselle, M. Tilak, A. Caizergues, C. Scornavacca, G. Blanco, M. Recuerda, J. Fuchs, J. C. Illera, D. H. De Swardt, C. Thébaud, B. Milá, B. Nabholz. 2021. Island songbirds as windows into evolution in small populations. Current Biology, 31(6):1303-1310.
Morinha, F.*, B. Milá*, J. A. Dávila, J. A. Fargallo, J. Potti, G. Blanco. 2020. The ghost of connections past: a role for mainland vicariance in the isolation of an insular population of the red-billed chough (Aves: Corvidae). Journal of Biogeography, 47(12): 2567-2583.
Friis, G. and B. Milá. 2020. Change in sexual signaling traits outruns morphological divergence in a recent avian radiation across an ecological gradient. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 33(9):1276-1293.
Bourgeois, Y., J. Bertrand, B. Delahaie, H. Holota, C. Thébaud*, B. Milá*. 2020. Local adaptation and sexual selection drive intra-island diversification in a songbird lineage: differential divergence in autosomes and sex chromosomes. Molecular Ecology, 29:1137–1153.
Gabrielli, M., B. Nabholz, T. Leroy, B. Milá*, C. Thébaud*. 2020. Within-island diversification in a passerine bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287:20192999.
Hernández-Baños, B., L. E. Zamudio-Beltrán, B. Milá. 2020. Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of a subclade of Mesoamerican emerald hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae: Trochilini). Zootaxa, 4748(3):581-591.
Truchado, D. A., A. Llanos-Garrido, D. A. Oropesa-Olmedo, B. Cerrada, P. Cea, M. A. J. Moens, E. Gomez-Lucia, A. Doménech, B. Milá, J. Pérez-Tris, D. Cadar, L. Benítez. 2020. Comparative metagenomics of Palearctic and Neotropical avian cloacal viromes reveal geographic bias in virus discovery. Microorganisms, 8:1869.
Gefaell, J., T. Prieto, M. Abdelaziz, I. Álvarez, J. Antón, J. Arroyo, J. L. Bella, M. Botella, A. Bugallo, V. Claramonte, J. Gijón, E. Lizarte, R. M. Maroto, M. Megías, B. Milá, C. Ramón, M. Vila, E. Rolán-Alvarez. 2020. Acceptance and knowledge of evolutionary theory among third-year university students in Spain. PLoS ONE, 15(9): e0238345.
Feng, S.*, J. Stiller*, Y. Deng*, J. Armstrong*, Q. Fang, A. H. Reeve, D. Xie, G. Chen, C. Guo, B. C. Faircloth, B. Petersen, Z. Wang, Q. Zhou, M. Diekhans, W. Chen, S. Andreu-Sánchez, A. Margaryan, J. T. Howard, C. Parent, G. Pacheco, M.-H. S. Sinding, L. Puetz, E. Cavill, A. M. Ribeiro, L. Eckhart, J. Fjeldså, P. A. Hosner, R. T. Brumfield, L. Christidis, M. F. Bertelsen, T. Sicheritz-Ponten, D. T. Tietze, B. C. Robertson, G. Song, G. Borgia, S. Claramunt, I. J. Lovette, S. J. Cowen, P. Njoroge, J. Philip Dumbacher, O. A. Ryder, J. Fuchs, M. Bunce, D. W. Burt, J. Cracraft, G. Meng, S. J. Hackett, P. G. Ryan, K. A. Jønsson, I. G. Jamieson, R. R. da Fonseca, E. L. Braun, P. Houde, S. Mirarab, A. Suh, B. Hansson, S. Ponnikas, H. Sigeman, M. Stervander, P. B. Frandsen, H. van der Zwan, R. van der Sluis, C. Visser, C. N. Balakrishnan, A. G. Clark, J. W. Fitzpatrick, R. Bowman, N. Chen, A. Cloutier, T. B. Sackton, S. V. Edwards, D. J. Foote, S. B. Shakya, F.k H. Sheldon, A. Vignal, A. E. R. Soares, B. Shapiro, J. González-Solís, J. Ferrer-Obiol, J. Rozas, M. Riutort, A. Tigano, V. Friesen, L. Dalén, A. O. Urrutia, T. Székely, Y. Liu, M. G. Campana, A. Corvelo, R. C. Fleischer, K. M. Rutherford, N. J. Gemmell, N. Dussex, H. Mouritsen, N. Thiele, K. Delmore, M. Liedvogel, A. Franke, M. P. Hoeppner, O. Krone, A. M. Fudickar, B. Milá, E. D. Ketterson, A. E. Fidler, G. Friis, Á. M. Parody-Merino, P. F. Battley, M. P. Cox, N. Costa Barroso Lima, F. Prosdocimi, T. L. Parchman, B. A. Schlinger, B. A. Loiselle, J. G. Blake, H. Chuan Lim, L. B. Day, M. J. Fuxjager, M. W. Baldwin, M. J. Braun, M. Wirthlin, R. B. Dikow, T. B. Ryder, G. Camenisch, L. F. Keller, J. M. DaCosta, M. E. Hauber, M. I. M. Louder, C. C. Witt, J. A. McGuire, J. Mudge, L. C. Megna, M. D. Carling, B. Wang, S. A. Taylor, G. Del-Rio, A. Aleixo, A. T. Ribeiro Vasconcelos, C. V. Mello, J. T. Weir, D. Haussler, Q. Li, H. Yang, J. Wang, F. Lei, C. Rahbek, M. T. P. Gilbert, G. R. Graves, E. D. Jarvis, B. Paten, G. Zhang. 2020. Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics. Nature, 587(7833):252–257.
Truchado, D. A., J. M. Diaz-Piqueras, E. Gomez-Lucia, A. Doménech, B. Milá, J. Pérez-Tris, J. Schmidt-Chanasit, D. Cadar, L. Benítez. 2019. A novel and divergent Gyrovirus with unusual genomic features detected in wild passerine birds from a remote rainforest in French Guiana. Viruses, 11(12):1148.
Leroy T., A. Anselmetti A., M.K. Tilak, S. Bérard, L. Csukonyi, M. Gabrielli, C. Scornavacca, B. Milá, C. Thébaud and B. Nabholz. 2019. A bird’s white-eye view on neo-sex chromosome evolution. PCI Evolutionary Biology, 505610.
Friis, G., G. Fandos, A. Zellmer, J. McCormack, B. Faircloth, B. Milá. 2018. Genome-wide signals of drift and local adaptation during rapid lineage divergence in a songbird. Molecular Ecology, 27:5137-5153.
Irwin, D. E., B. Milá, D. P. L. Toews, A. Brelsford, H. L. Kenyon, A. N. Porter, C. Grossen, K. E. Delmore, M. Alcaide, J. H Irwin. 2018. A comparison of genomic islands of differentiation across three young avian species pairs. Molecular Ecology, 27:4839-4855.
Abolins-Abols, M., E. Kornobis, P. Ribeca, K. Wakamatsu, M. P Peterson, E. Ketterson, B. Milá. 2018. A role for differential gene regulation in the rapid diversification of melanic plumage coloration in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). Molecular Ecology, 27:4501-4515.
Bruxaux, J, M. Gabrielli, H. Ashari, R. Prŷs-Jones, L. Joseph, B. Milá, G. Besnard, C. Thébaud. 2018. Recovering the evolutionary history of crowned pigeons (Columbidae: Goura): implications for the biogeography and conservation of New Guinean lowland birds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 120:248-258.
Milá, B., J. L. Van Tassell, J. A. Calderón, L. Rüber, R. Zardoya. 2017. Cryptic lineage divergence in marine environments: genetic differentiation at multiple spatial and temporal scales in the widespread intertidal goby Gobiosoma bosc. Ecology and Evolution, 7:5514-5523.
Delahaie, B., J. Cornuault, C. Masson, J. A. M. Bertrand, Y. X. C. Bourgeois, B. Milá*, C. Thébaud*. 2017. Narrow hybrid zones in spite of very low population differentiation in neutral markers in an island bird species complex. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 30:2132-2145.
Bourgeois, Y.X.C., B. Delahaie, M. Gautier, E. Lhuillier, P.-J. G. Malé, J. A.M. Bertrand, J. Cornuault, K. Wakamatsu, O. Bouchez, C. Mould, J. Bruxaux, H. Holota, B. Milá*, C. Thébaud*. 2017. A novel locus on chromosome 1 underlies the evolution of a melanic plumage polymorphism in a wild songbird. Royal Society Open Science, 4(2):160805.
Morinha, F., J. A. Dávila, E. Bastos, J. A. Cabral, O. Frías, J. L. González, P. Travassos, D. Carvalho, B. Milá*, G. Blanco*. 2017. Extreme genetic structure in a social bird species despite high dispersal capacity. Molecular Ecology, 26:2812-2825.
Moens, M., J. Perez-Tris, B. Milá, L. Benítez. 2017. The biological background of a recurrently emerging infectious disease: prevalence, diversity and host specificity of Avipoxvirus in wild Neotropical birds. Journal of Avian Biology, 48:1-6.
Caminer, M. A., B. Milá, M. Jansen, A. Fouquet, P. J. Venegas, G. Chávez, A. Chek, S. R. Ron. 2017. Systematics of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus species complex (Anura: Hylidae): cryptic diversity and the description of two new species. PLoS One, 12(3):e0171785.
Friis, G., P. Aleixandre, R. Rodríguez-Estrella, A. Navarro-Sigüenza, B. Milá. 2016. Rapid postglacial diversification and long-term stasis within the songbird genus Junco: phylogeographic and phylogenomic evidence. Molecular Ecology, 25:6175–6195.
Toews, D., A. Brelsford, C. Grossen, B. Milá, D. Irwin. 2016. Genomic variation across the yellow-rumped warbler species complex. The Auk, 133:698-717.
Bourgeois, Y. X. C., J. A. M. Bertrand, B. Delahaie, J. Cornuault, T. Duval, B. Milá*, C. Thébaud*. 2016. Candidate gene analysis suggests untapped genetic complexity in melanin-based pigmentation in birds. Journal of Heredity, 2016:327-335.
Bertrand, J. A. M., B. Delahaie, Y. X. C. Bourgeois, T. Duval, R. García-Jiménez, J. Cornuault, B. Pujol, C. Thébaud, B. Milá. 2016. The role of selection and historical factors in driving population differentiation along an elevational gradient in an island passerine bird. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 29:824-836.
Alvarez, S., J. F. Salter, J. E. McCormack, B. Milá. 2016. Speciation in mountain refugia: phylogeography and demographic history of the pine siskin and black-capped siskin complex. Journal of Avian Biology, 47:335–345.
Cornuault, J., B. Delahaie, J.A.M. Bertrand, Y.X.C. Bourgeois, B. Milá, P. Heeb, C. Thébaud. 2015. Morphological and plumage colour variation in the Réunion grey white-eye (Aves: Zosterops borbonicus): assessing the role of selection. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 114(2):459-473.
San-José, L. M., M. Peñalver-Alcázar, B. Milá, V. González-Jimena, P. S. Fitze. 2014. Cumulative frequency-dependent selective episodes allow for rapid morph cycles and rock-paper-scissors dynamics in species with overlapping generations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281:20140976.
Horreo, J. L., J. C. Alonso, C. Palacín, B. Milá. 2014. Genetic structure in Iberian and Moroccan populations of the globally threatened great bustard Otis tarda: a microsatellite perspective. Journal of Avian Biology, 45:1-7.
Horreo, J. L., J. C. Alonso, B. Milá. 2014. DNA sequences from the Little Brown Bustard Eupodotis humilis suggest its close phylogenetic relationship to the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax. Ostrich, 85(1):1-5.
Arbeláez-Cortés, E., B. Milá, A. G. Navarro-Sigüenza. 2014. Multilocus analysis of intraspecific differentiation in three endemic bird species from the northern Neotropical dry forest. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 70:362-377.
Bertrand, J. A. M., Y. X. Bourgeois, B. Delahaie, T. Duval, R. García-Jiménez, J. Cornuault, P. Heeb, B. Milá, B. Pujol, C. Thébaud. 2014. Extremely reduced dispersal and gene flow in an island bird. Heredity, 112:190-196.
Cornuault, J., J. Bertrand, B. Warren, B. Milá, C. Thébaud, P. Heeb. 2013. Timing and number of colonizations but not diversification rates affect diversity patterns in hemosporidian lineages on a remote oceanic archipelago. American Naturalist, 182:820-833.
Horreo, J. L., C. Palacín, J. C. Alonso, B. Milá. 2013. A link between historical population decline in the threatened great bustard and human expansion in Iberia: evidence from genetic and demographic data. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 110(3):518-527.
Milá, B., Y. Surget-Groba, B. Heulin, A. Gosá, P. S. Fitze. 2013. Multilocus phylogeography of the common lizard Zootoca vivipara at the Ibero-Pyrenean suture zone reveals lowland barriers and high-elevation introgression. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 13:192.
Bourgeois, Y. X. C., E. Lhuillier, T. Cézard, J. A. M. Bertrand, B. Delahaie, J. Cornuault, T. Duval, O. Bouchez, B. Milá, C. Thébaud. 2013. Mass production of SNP markers in a nonmodel passerine bird through RAD sequencing and contig mapping to the zebra finch genome. Molecular Ecology Resources, 13(5):899-907.
Aleixandre, P., J. Hérnandez-Montoya, B. Milá. 2013. Speciation on oceanic islands: rapid adaptive divergence vs. cryptic speciation in a Guadalupe Island songbird (Aves: Junco). PLOS ONE, 8(5): e63242.
Cornuault, J., A. Khimoun, R. J. Harrigan, Y. Bourgeois, B. Milá, C. Thébaud, P. Heeb. 2013. The role of ecology in the geographical separation of blood parasites infecting an insular bird. Journal of Biogeography, 40(7):1313-1323.
Horreo, J. L., J. C. Alonso, B. Milá. 2013. Identification of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the endangered great bustard (Otis tarda) by high-throughput sequencing. Conservation Genetics Resources, 5(2):549-551.
Fuller, T., H. Thomassen, M. Peralvo, W. Buermann, B. Milá, C. Kieswetter, P. Jarrin, S. Cameron-Devitt, E. Mason, R. Schweizer, J. Schlunegger, J. Chan, O. Wang, C. Schneider, J. Pollinger, S. Saatchi, C. Graham, R. K. Wayne, T. B. Smith. 2013. Intraspecific morphological and genetic variation of common species predicts ranges of threatened ones. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280:20130423.
Peterson, M.P., M. Abolins-Abols, J.W. Atwell, R.J. Rice, B. Milá, E.D. Ketterson. 2013. Variation in candidate genes CLOCK and ADCYAP1 does not consistently predict differences in migratory behavior in the songbird genus Junco. F1000Research, 2:115.
Bourgeois, Y., J. A.M. Bertrand, C. Thébaud, B. Milá. 2012. Investigating the role of the Melanocortin-1 receptor gene in an extreme case of microgeographical variation in the pattern of melanin-based plumage pigmentation. PLOS ONE, 7(12):e50906.
Milá, B., E. S. Tavares, A. Muñoz Saldaña, T. B. Smith, J. Karubian, A. J. Baker. 2012. A trans-Amazonian screening of mtDNA reveals deep intraspecific divergence in forest birds and suggests a vast underestimation of species diversity. PLOS ONE, 7(7): e40541.
Cornuault, J., A. Bataillard, B. Warren, A. Lootvoet, P. Mirleau, T. Duval, B. Milá, C. Thébaud, P. Heeb. 2012. The role of immigration and in-situ radiation in explaining blood parasite assemblages in an island bird clade. Molecular Ecology, 21:1438-1452.
Barrera-Guzmán, A. O., B. Milá, L. A. Sánchez-González, A. G. Navarro-Sigüenza. 2012. Speciation in an avian complex endemic to the mountains of Middle America (Ergaticus, Aves: Parulidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 62(3):907-920.
Oliveras de Ita, A., T. B. Smith, R. K. Wayne, K. Oyama Nakagawa, B. Milá. 2012. Genetic evidence for recent range fragmentation and severely restricted dispersal in the critically endangered Sierra Madre sparrow Xenospiza baileyi. Conservation Genetics, 13:283-291.
De la Hera, I., D. DeSante, B. Milá. 2012. Feather growth rate and mass in Nearctic passerines with a variable migratory behavior and molt pattern. The Auk, 129(2):222-230.
Bertrand, J. A. M., R. García-Jiménez, Y. Bourgeois, T. Duval, P. Heeb, C. Thébaud, B. Milá. 2012. Isolation and characterization of twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci for investigating an extreme case of microgeographical variation in an island bird (Zosterops borbonicus). Conservation Genetics Resources, 4(2):323-326.
Pavón-Gozalo, P., B. Milá, P. Aleixandre, J. A. Calderón, A. Zaldívar-Riverón, J. Hernández-Montoya, M. García-París. 2011. Long-distance invasion and high altitude acclimation of the European earwig, Forficula auricularia (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) in two distant areas of Mexico. Florida Entomologist, 94(4):1088-1090.
Milá, B., D. P. L. Toews, T. B. Smith, R. K. Wayne. 2011. A cryptic contact zone between divergent mtDNA lineages in southwestern North America supports past introgressive hybridisation in the yellow-rumped warbler complex (Aves: Dendroica coronata). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 103:696-706.
Brelsford, A., B. Milá, D. Irwin. 2011. Hybrid origin of Audubon’s warbler. Molecular Ecology, 20(11):2380-2389.
Smith, T.B., H. A. Thomassen, A. Freedman, R. Sehgal, W. Buermann, S. Saatchi, J. Pollinger, B. Milá, D. Pires, G. Valkiunas, R. K. Wayne. 2011. Patterns of divergence in the olive sunbird Cyanomitra olivacea (Aves: Nectariniidae) across the African rainforest-savanna ecotone. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 103:821-835.
Thomassen, H. A., T. Fuller, W. Buermann, B. Milá, C. M. Kieswetter, P. A. Menéndez-Guerrero, C. H. Graham, S. E. Cameron, J. Chan, E. Mason, R. Schweizer, J. Schlunegger, C. J. Schneider, O. Wang, M. Peralvo, J. P. Pollinger, S. Saatchi, R. K. Wayne, T. B. Smith. 2011. Mapping evolutionary process: a multi-taxa approach to conservation prioritization. Evolutionary Applications, 4(2):397-413.
Milá, B., B. H. Warren, P. Heeb, C. Thébaud. 2010. The geographic scale of diversification on islands: genetic and morphological divergence at a very small spatial scale in the Mascarene grey white-eye (Aves: Zosterops borbonicus). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 10:158.
Milá, B., S. Carranza, O. Guillaume and J. Clobert. 2010. Marked genetic structuring and extreme dispersal limitation in the Pyrenean brook newt Calotriton asper (Amphibia: Salamandridae) revealed by genome-wide AFLP but not mtDNA. Molecular Ecology, 19:108-120.
Thomassen, H. A., W. Buermann, B. Milá, C. H. Graham, S. E. Cameron, C. J. Schneider, J. P. Pollinger, S. Saatchi, R. K. Wayne and T. B. Smith. 2009. Modeling environmentally associated morphological and genetic variation in a rainforest bird, and its application to conservation prioritization. Evolutionary Applications, 3(1):1-16.
Milá, B., R. K. Wayne, P. S. Fitze and T. B. Smith. 2009. Divergence with gene flow and fine-scale phylogeographic structure in the wedge-billed woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus, a Neotropical rainforest bird. Molecular Ecology, 18:2979-2995.
Bonneaud, C., I. Sepil, B. Milá, W. Buermann, J. P. Pollinger, R. N. M. Sehgal, G. Valkiūnas, T. A. Iezhova, S. Saatchi and T. B. Smith. 2009. The prevalence of avian Plasmodium is higher in undisturbed tropical forests of Cameroon. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 25:439-447.
Milá, B., R. K. Wayne and T. B. Smith. 2008. Ecomorphology of migratory and sedentary populations of the yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata). Condor, 110(2):335-344.
Buermann, W., S. Saatchi, T. B. Smith, B. R. Zutta, J. A. Chaves, B. Milá and C. H. Graham. 2008. Predicting species distributions across the Amazonian and Andean regions using remote sensing data. Journal of Biogeography, 35(7):1160-1176.
Smith, T.B., B. Milá, G. F. Grether, H. Slabbekoorn, I. Sepil, W. Buermann, S. Saatchi and J. P. Pollinger. 2008. Evolutionary consequences of human disturbance in a rainforest bird species from Central Africa. Molecular Ecology, 17:58-71.
Brown, D. M., R. A. Brenneman, K. P. Koepfli, J. P. Pollinger, B. Milá, N. J. Georgiadis, E. E. Louis Jr., G. F. Grether, D. K. Jacobs and R. K. Wayne. 2007. Extensive genetic structure in the giraffe. BMC Biology, 5:57.
Milá, B., J. E. McCormack, G. Castañeda, R. K. Wayne and T. B. Smith. 2007. Recent postglacial range expansion drives the rapid diversification of a songbird lineage in the genus Junco. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274:2653-2660.
Milá, B., T. B. Smith and R. K. Wayne. 2007. Speciation and rapid phenotypic differentiation in the yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata) complex. Molecular Ecology, 16:159-173.
Milá, B., T. B. Smith, R. K. Wayne. 2006. Postglacial population expansion drives the evolution of long-distance migration in a songbird. Evolution, 60(11):2403-2409.
Milá, B. and C. Bardeleben. 2005. Isolation of polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellite markers for the wedge-billed woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus. Molecular Ecology Notes, 5:844-845.
McCormack, J. E., G. Castañeda-Guayasamín, B. Milá, and F. Heredia-Pineda. 2005. Slate-throated redstarts (Myioborus miniatus) breeding in Maderas del Carmen, Coahuila, Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist, 50(4):501-503.
Hobson, K.A., L. I. Wassenaar, B. Milá, I. Lovette, C. Dingle, T. B. Smith. 2003. Stable isotopes as indicators of altitudinal distributions and movements in an Ecuadorean hummingbird community. Oecologia, 136(2):302-308.
Outlaw, D.C., G. Voelker, B. Milá, D. J. Girman. 2003. Evolution of long-distance migration and historical biogeography of Catharus thrushes: a molecular phylogenetic approach. The Auk, 120(2):299-310.
Kimura, M., S. M. Clegg, I. J. Lovette, K. R. Holder, D. J. Girman, B. Milá, P. Wade, T. B. Smith. 2002. Phylogeographical approaches to assessing demographic connectivity between breeding and overwintering regions in a Nearctic-Neotropical warbler (Wilsonia pusilla). Molecular Ecology, 11:1605-1616.
Valenzuela, D., B. Milá, F. Urbina, K. Renton, A. García and R. Castro. 2002. Range extensions for lineated (Dryocopus lineatus) and pale-billed (Campephilus guatemalensis) woodpeckers, and first records for the state of Morelos, Mexico. Cotinga, 17:12-14.
Milá, B., D.J. Girman, M. Kimura, T.B. Smith. 2000. Genetic evidence for the effect of a post-glacial population expansion on the phylogeography of a North American songbird. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B: Biological Sciences, 267:1033-1040.
Rouco, M, J. L. Copete, E. De Juana, M. Gil-Velasco, J. A. Lorenzo, M. Martín, B. Milá, B. Molina, D. M. Santos. 2019. Lista de las aves de España. Edición de 2019. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid
Hocdé, R., Vimono, I., Suruwaki, A. M., Tuti, Y., Utama, R., Mohammad, A., Boli, P., Ashari, H., Wikanta, H., Juhel, J.-B., Cochet, C., Thébaud, C., Milá, B., Abdul, G., Leblond, J., Bahuet, E., Diraimondo, G., Fromento, B., Chevallard, J., Sumanta, S., Crew team, Pouyaud, B., Kadarusman, K., Pouyaud, L. 2020. Mission report: Lengguru 2017 Expedition ‘Biodiversity assessment in reef twilight zone and cloud forests’, R/V AIRAHA 2, 1st October 2017 – 30th November 2017, Kaimana Regency, West Papua, Indonesia. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), France; Pusat Penelitian Oseanografi, Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan (LIPI-P2O), Indonesia; Politeknik Kelautan Dan Perikanan Sorong (Politeknik-KP-Sorong), Papua Barat, Indonesia. HAL Archives Ouvertes, https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal–02565651
Milá, B., P. Aleixandre, S. Alvarez-Nordstrom and John McCormack. 2016. More than meets the eye: lineage diversity and evolutionary history of dark-eyed and yellow-eyed juncos. In Snowbird: Integrative biology and evolutionary diversity in the junco. E. D. Ketterson and J. W. Atwell (Eds.). Chicago University Press, Chicago.
Milá, B. 2005.The role of Pleistocene glacial cycles in driving speciation and the evolution of migration in songbirds: Inferring evolutionary processes from mitochondrial DNA and morphological data. Ph.D. Thesis. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Smith, T. B., S. M. Clegg, M. Kimura, K. Ruegg, B. Milá, and I. J. Lovette. 2005. Molecular genetic approaches to linking breeding and overwintering areas for five Neotropical migrant passerines. In Birds of Two Worlds: The Ecology and Evolution of Migration, Greenberg, R. and P. Marra, Eds., Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp. 222-234.
Milá, B., S. M. Clegg, M. Kimura, K. Ruegg, I. Lovette, and T. B. Smith. 2005. Linking breeding and overwintering areas of five Nearctic-Neotropical migratory passerines using molecular genetic markers. General Technical Report #191, pp. 889-892. USDA Forest Service, Albany, CA, USA.
DeSante, D. F., T. S. Sillett, R. B. Siegel, J. F. Saracco, C. A. Romo de Vivar Alvarez, S. Morales, A. Cerezo, D. R. Kaschube, M. Grosselet and B. Milá. 2005. MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal): Assessing habitat-specific overwintering survival of neotropical migratory landbirds. In Bird Conservation Implementation and Integration in the Americas: Proceedings of the Third International Partners in Flight Conference, Asilomar, CA, March 2002; Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-191, Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture; pp. 926-936.
Larison, B., T.B. Smith, D. Girman, D. Stauffer, B. Milá, R.C. Drewes, C.E. Griswold, J.V. Vindum, D. Ubick, K. O´Keefe, J. Nguema, L. Henwood. 1999. Biotic surveys of Bioko and Rio Muni, Equatorial Guinea. Report submitted to the Biodiversity Support Program, USAID, USA. http://hdl.handle.net/1834/303
Ralph, C.J., G.R. Geupel, P. Pyle, T.E. Martin, D.F. DeSante and B. Milá. 1996. Manual de métodos de campo para el monitoreo de aves terrestres (Handbook of Field Methods for Monitoring Landbirds). General Technical Report #159. PSW, USDA Forest Service, Albany, CA.
Ralph, C.J. and B. Milá. 1996. Methodological model for monitoring landbird populations in the neotropics. Proceedings of the V Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Asunción, Paraguay.
Milá, B., B. D. Hardesty. 1994. Winter bird population study: Disturbed coastal scrub. Journal of Field Ornithology, 65(2):33 Suppl.
Noel, M., B. Milá, and B. D. Hardesty. 1994. Breeding bird census: Coastal scrub. Journal of Field Ornithology, 65(2):111-112 Suppl.
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain, “Modes of selection in recent avian radiations: linking phenotypic and genomic variation along the speciation continuum (GENORAD)”. Plan Nacional de I+D – Programa Generación de Conocimiento PGC-2018-098897-B-I00, 2019-2021, 229.900€, PI: Borja Milá.
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain, «Ecological, evolutionary and conservation consequences of resource limitation on oceanic island birds» (CGL2015-66381P), 2016-2018, 226.391€, PIs: Borja Milá, Guillermo Blanco.
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain, “Evolutionary history, diversification mechanisms, biogeography and species limits in the avian genus Junco: a multidisciplinary approach using phenotypic, ecological, phylogeographic, and genomic data” (CGL2011-25866), 2012-2015, 211.750€, PI: Borja Milá
National Geographic Society, USA, “The role of geography and ecology in driving intra-island bird speciation in the Mascarene Islands”, 2011, US$ 24.100, PI: Borja Milá
SYNTHESYS Program, European Union, “Causes of evolutionary diversification: a study of possible incipient speciation in a bird (Zosterops borbonicus) within a small oceanic island”, 2010, 5.000€, PI: Borja Milá, Joris Bertrand
CSIC-CONACYT, Programa Bilateral, Spain-Mexico, “Biogeografía molecular y genética de conservación de aves endémicas de México”, 2009-2011, 5.500€, PI: Borja Milá, Adolfo Navarro
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain, “Dinámica de piedra-papel-tijera y la selección sexual de las hembras en la lagartija de turbera (Lacerta vivipara)”, 2009-2011, 189,000€, PI: Patrick Fitze
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France, “Molecular biogeography and conservation genetics of Neotropical understory forest birds in French Guyana”, 2007-2009, 10.000€, PI: Borja Milá
Agence Nationale de la Recherche, CNRS, France, “Phylogeography and evolutionary ecology of Zosterops borbonicus in the Mascarene Islands”, 2007-2010, 120.000€, PI: Christophe Thébaud, Philipp Heeb, Borja Milá
UC MEXUS, University of California, USA, “Evolution of songbird migration in the Mexican highlands: implications for speciation, taxonomy and biodiversity conservation”, 2003-2005, US$12.500, PI: Borja Milá
NASA, USA, “Quantifying patterns of biodiversity in a changing climate: integrating biological point and process data with remotely sensed environmental variables”, 2004-2006, US$1.200.000, PI: T. B. Smith, R. K. Wayne, C. Moritz, C. J. Schneider, S. Saatchi
National Science Foundation, USA, “The role of ecotones in generating rainforest biodiversity.”, 2000-2005, US$1.700.000, PI: T. B. Smith, R. K. Wayne, C. J. Schneider, C. Moritz
UC MEXUS, University of California, USA, “Conservation genetics of migratory songbirds: developing novel approaches to linking breeding and wintering populations in Mexico and the United States”, 2003-2005, US$50.000, PI: T. B. Smith, E. Santana-Castellón
Environmental Protection Agency, USA, “Migratory birds as indicators of ecosystem health: a molecular genetic approach to linking population units and geography”, 2003-2005, US$400.000, PI: T. B. Smith
Jiji Foundation, San Francisco, USA, “Migratory bird conservation in Western Mexico: Identifying and protecting important riparian corridors”, 1999-2000, US$20.000, PI: Borja Milá, Geoffrey Geupel
Doctoral theses
- Javier Sala Garcia, MNCN-CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. FPI Fellowship. Title: «Modes of selection in recent avian radiations: linking phenotypic and genomic variation along the speciation continuum in the genera Junco and Fringilla». Expected defense: 12/2024.
- Bárbara Freitas, MNCN-CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. FCT Fellowship (Portugal). Title: «The role of song in speciation of insular birds». Co-directed with Christophe Thébaud. Expected defense: 12/2024.
- María Recuerda, MNCN-CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. FPU Fellowship. Title: «Speciation mechanisms of birds on islands». Co-directed with Guillermo Blanco and Rafael Zardoya. Expected defense: 3/2022.
- Maëva Gabrielli, Université de Toulouse, “Genomic architecture of divergence in Zosterops borbonicus”. Co-directed with Christophe Thébaud. Defended 3/7/2020.
- Guillermo Friis , MNCN-CSIC and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. FPI fellowship. Title: “Genomics of a rapid avian radiation in the genus Junco”. Defended 2/2018.
- Boris Delahaie, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse. Title: “Speciation, environmental gradients and hybrid zones: the case of the Mascarene White-eye (Zosterops borbonicus).” Co-directed with Christophe Thébaud and Benoit Nabholz. Defended 13/3/2015.
- Yann Bourgeois, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse. Title: “Evolutionary genetics of an extreme case of color polymorphism in an island bird, Zosterops borbonicus (Zosteropidae).” Co-directed with Christophe Thébaud. Defended 23/7/2013.
- Pau Aleixandre Mallol, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and MNCN-CSIC, Madrid. Title: “Phylogeography of a recent avian radiation in the genus Junco”. Co-directed with Rafael Zardoya, FPU fellowship. Unfinished.
Master theses
- Sergio García Gómez, Universidad Católica de Murcia, Spain (2024), Title: “Inferencia demográfica de una radiación evolutiva de aves paseriformes utilizando datos genómicos”. Co-directed with Javier Sala.
- Jorge García Calleja, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain (2021). Title: «Detecting signals of selection across whole-genome assemblies of wild bird species». Co-directed with María Recuerda.
- Alejandro Alaman, Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo – CSIC, Spain (2020). Title: «Phylogeography of passerine birds in remote mountain ranges of New Guinea».
- Pablo Salinas, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain (2018), Title: “Genetic diversity and conservation genetics of Iberian rooks Corvus frugilegus”. Co-directed with Guillermo Blanco.
- Natalia Rojas, Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo – CSIC, Spain (2017), Title: “Conservation genetics of the volcano junco in Costa Rica”.
- Ester Martínez, Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo – CSIC, Spain (2017), Title: “Habitat use and population viability of the volcano junco Junco vulcani in Costa Rica”.
- Alba Aparicio, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (2016). Title: “Diferenciación genética y filogeografía del colibrí de Ana (Calypte anna) en isla Guadalupe, México”.
- Laura Mármol, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain (2015). Title: “Song variation in the Setophaga coronata complex (Aves: Parulidae): implications for systematics and the evolution of song structure”.
- Marcel Caminer, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (2014). Title: “Diversidad genética y variabilidad fenotípica dentro del complejo de especies Dendropsophus leucophyllatus (Beireis, 1783) y Dendropsophus triangulum (Günther, 1869) (Anura: Hylidae)”.
- Alvar Veiga, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (2014). Title: Diferenciación genética, filogeografía y ecomorfología del camachuelo mexicano (Haemorrhous mexicanus amplus) en isla Guadalupe, México
- Guillermo Friis Montoya, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain (2013). Title: “Multiple factors in the diversification of the songbird genus Junco: inferences from morphological, spectral and molecular data”.
- Pau Aleixandre Mallol, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (2011). Title: “Genetic and phenotypic divergence of the endangered Junco insularis on Guadalupe Island, México”.
- Alberto Muñoz Saldaña, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (2011). Title: “Distancias genéticas intraespecíficas en aves amazónicas: implicaciones para el uso de códigos de barras en la delimitación de especies y la inferencia de procesos evolutivos”.
- Adán Oliveras de Ita, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), México (co-directed with Ken Oyama, 2011). Title: “Genetic evidence for recent range fragmentation and severely restricted dispersal in the critically endangered Sierra Madre sparrow (Xenospiza bayleyi)”.
Member of advising committees for doctorate and master candidates
- Maya Mould, University of Toulouse, France (PhD, ongoing)
- Vera Uva, University of Laussane, Switzerland (PhD, ongoing)
- Yuyini Licona Vera, Instituto de Ecología, Xalapa, México (PhD, 2017)
- Cristina González Rubio Sanvicente, CIBNOR, La Paz, Baja California, México (PhD, 2016)
- Víctor Piñero Jiménez, Instituto de Ecología, Xalapa, México (PhD, 2015)
- Sarai Esquivel, CIBNOR, La Paz, Baja California, México (Master, 2013)
- Denisse Maldonado Sánchez, Instituto de Ecología, Xalapa, México (Master, 2011)
Member of doctoral thesis defense tribunal
- Alejandro Llanos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (25/5/2019)
- Sepand Riyahi, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain (21/9/2017)
- Jasper Van Heusden, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (6/6/2017)
- Emilio Valbuena Ureña, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain (24/7/2015)
- Esperanza Socorro Ferrer, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, Spain (suplente, 2/6/2015)
- Michelangelo Morganti, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (22/5/2014)
- Javier Igea de Castro, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain (2013)
Undergraduate research supervision
· Jatziri Alejandra Calderón, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Undergraduate Thesis Director, 2013.
· Sofía Alvarez Nordström, MNCN, Fall 2011
· Núria Ortiz Cabrera, MNCN, Fall 2011
· Eva Serrano Davies, MNCN (2011)
· Navi Timber, University of California Los Angeles, Spring 2005
· Samuel López, University of California Los Angeles, Fall 2003-Spring 2004
Scientific journals:
Molecular Ecology (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021); Ecology Letters (2020); Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2009, 2017, 2021); Evolution (2005, 2008, 2017, 2021); BMC Evolutionary Biology (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017); Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015); Journal of Biogeography (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020); Evolutionary Ecology (2017, 2019), Ecography (2017), Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (2011, 2013, 2017); Heredity (2013, 2019, 2020); PLoS ONE (2014, 2015, 2017); Conservation Genetics (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021); Biological Conservation (2008); Biodiversity & Conservation (2013); Animal Conservation (2010, 2013); Current Zoology (2010); Evolutionary Applications (2009); Journal of Avian Biology (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020); The Ibis (2014, 2017); The Condor (2008); The Auk (2009, 2011, 2017, 2020); Wilson Journal of Ornithology (2007, 2009, 2021); Journal of Field Ornithology (2008); Scientia Marina (2010); Annales Zoologici Fennici (2010), Zootaxa (2016), Acta Ethologica (2017), Journal of Natural History (2018).
Evaluation of research projects:
· Agencia Nacional de Evaluación y Prospectiva (ANEP), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Spain (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
. University of Cyprus, Reseach Projects, 2018
· Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (FONCyT), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva, Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, Argentina (2009, 2015).
· Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal (2009).
· Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Colombia COLCIENCIAS, Colombia (2009).
· National Geographic Society, Research Grants (2010, 2011, 2012).
· Scherbaum Award for Outstanding Research, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2005
· Dissertation Year Fellowship, Graduate Division, University of California, Los Angeles, 2004 ($17,000)
· Mildred Mathias Award to the Top-ranked Dissertation Grant Proposal in the Natural Sciences, UC MEXUS, 2003 ($2,500)
· UC MEXUS Doctoral Dissertation Grant, 2003-2005 ($12,000)
· American Ornithologists Union Wetmore Award, 2003 ($1,800)
· Quarter Fellowship, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Fall 2003 ($5,000)
· Tuition Fellowship, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, 2000-2005 (~$9,000 annually)
· Geraldine K. Lindsay Award for Excellence in the Natural Sciences, American Society for the Advancement of Science, 80th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Division, San Francisco, June 1999.
· Award for Excellence and First Place among student presentations, 80th Annual Meeting of the American Society for the Advancement of Science Pacific Division, San Francisco, June 1999.
· Percy Sladen Memorial Fund Award, Linnean Society of London, London, U.K., March 1996 ($1,800)
· Office of the Dean, San Francisco State University, Research and Travel Award, 1996.
· Bachelor of Science cum laude, University of Massachusetts, May 1992.
- US Master Bird Banding Permit (#23402) since 2005, and Subpermitee since 1993, issued by the Bird Banding Laboratory, USGS, USA.
- CRBPO (France) banding permit for Zosterops borbonicus on Reunion Island, since 2007 and French Guiana since 2016.
- Appointed Official Bird Banding Trainer by the North American Bird Banding Council (NABBC) since 2000.
- As of June 2015 and since 1995, I have banded over 10,500 birds belonging to hundreds of species from the following geographic regions (approximate number of birds banded in parentheses): North America (3817), Mexico and Central America (2597), Ecuador (2863), French Guiana (700), Reunion and Mauritius Islands (1300) and West Africa (430).
Milá, B., M. Gabrielli, Y. Bourgeois and C. Thébaud. Genomewide data reveal the role of natural and sexual selection in driving intra-island diversification in a Reunion songbird (Zosterops borbonicus). 139th Annual Meeting of the American Ornithological Society. Presented online due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Milá, B. Avian diversification within oceanic islands. Invited lecture, Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC, Sevilla, Spain, March 5, 2020.
Milá, B. G. Friis. Rapid diversification of darkeyed juncos (Aves: Passerellidae): phylogenomic and transcriptomic insights into the relative roles of natural and sexual selection VII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Sevilla, Spain, February 5-7, 2020.
Recuerda, M., G. Friis, G. Blanco, B. Milá. Local adaptation drives genomic divergence in the common chaffinch within the island of La Palma. VII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Sevilla, Spain, February 5-7, 2020.
Milá, B. and G. Friis. Genomic evidence for a rapid postglacial radiation in dark-eyed juncos (Passerellidae): insights into the relative roles of natural and sexual selection. XXIV Congreso Español de Ornitología, Cádiz, Spain, November 13-16, 2019.
Recuerda, M, J. C. Illera, G. Blanco, B. Milá. Evolutionary history and systematics of the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) radiation across Macaronesia using phylogenomics and phenotypic traits. XXIV Congreso Español de Ornitología, Cádiz, Spain, November 13-16, 2019.
Milá, B. Mechanisms of species formation in birds. Invited lecture, Departament de Genetica, Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain. December 4, 2018.
Friis, G. and B. Milá. Genome-wide signals of local adaptation and drift reveal multiple mechanisms of lineage divergence during a rapid songbird radiation. Poster presentation. Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Montpellier, France. August 19-22, 2018.
Recuerda, M., G. Friis and B. Milá. Habitat-related evolutionary divergence in the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) within La Palma (Canary Islands): Phenotypic and genomic evidence. Poster presentation. Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Montpellier, France. August 19-22, 2018.
Milá, B. and C. Thébaud. Genomewide data reveal the role of natural and sexual selection in driving intra-island diversification in a Reunion songbird (Zosterops borbonicus). Oral presentation. VI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 17-19 January, 2018.
Friis, G and B. Milá. Genome-wide signals of drift and local adaptation during rapid lineage divergence in a songbird. Poster presentation. VI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 17-19 January, 2018.
Recuerda, M, G. Friis, G. Blanco and B. Milá. Habitat-related evolutionary divergence in the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) within La Palma (Canary Islands): phenotypic and genomic evidence. Poster presentation. VI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 17-19 January, 2018.
Milá, B. Mechanisms of species formation in birds. Invited lecture, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California, USA. April 4, 2017.
Milá, B. Historia evolutiva y conservación de las aves terrestres endémicas de Isla Guadalupe, México. Charla invitada. Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI), Ensenada, Baja California Norte, México. Marzo 2017.
Milá, B. Genomic analyses reveal the role of selection and low dispersal in driving intra-island diversification of a Reunion Island songbird. Oral presentation, XXI Seminario de Genética de Poblaciones y Evolución, Sitges, Spain. October 3-5, 2016.
Milá, B., A. Veiga, A. Aparicio, J. Calderón, J. Hernández-Montoya. Historical contingency and the diverse evolutionary histories of endemic birds of Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Oral presentation. Special symposium on Bird Speciation on Islands. II International Conference on Island Evolution, Ecology and Conservation, Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal. 18-22 July, 2016.
Milá, B. Procesos de especiación en aves: experiencias en el campo y el laboratorio molecular. Invited plenary lecture. XVI Reunión Argentina de Ornitología (RAO), La Plata, Argentina. September 12-15, 2015.Milá, B., Y. Bourgeois, J. Bertrand, J. Cornuault, B. Delahaie, C. Thébaud. Divergent selection and reduced dispersal drive phenotypic diversification at a very small spatial scale in an island bird. Poster presentation. Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Lausanne, Switzerland, August 10-14, 2015.
Friis, G. & B. Milá. A case of rapid postglacial speciation in the songbird genus Junco: genome-wide divergence in SNP data suggests the role of multifarious selection. Poster presentation. Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Lausanne, Switzerland, August 10-14, 2015.
Kornobis, P. Ribeca, M. Peterson, M. Abolins-Abols, E. Ketterson & B. Milá. Differential regulation of melanin-related genes contributes to plumage coloration differences between morphs of the dark-eyed junco: a common-garden experiment. Poster presentation. Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Lausanne, Switzerland, August 10-14, 2015.
Milá, B., G. Friis, and P. Aleixandre. Rapid speciation and cryptic divergence in the diversification of dark-eyed and yellow-eyed juncos (Aves: Emberizidae). XXII Congreso Español de Ornitología, Madrid, Spain, 6-9 diciembre, 2014.
Milá, B., Y. X. C. Bourgeois, B. Delahaie, J. Bertrand, C. Thébaud. Intra-island diversification in a tropical passerine bird: inference from genetic, genomic and phenotypic data. IV Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Barcelona, Spain, November 27-29, 2013.
Milá, B., Y. X. C. Bourgeois, C. Thébaud. RADseq phylogenomics reveal the recent diversification history of a polymorphic songbird (Zosterops borbonicus) on the island of Reunion. II Iberian Congress of Biological Systematics (CISA), Barcelona, Spain, September 25-27, 2013.
Milá, B., G. Friis, and P. Aleixandre. Rapid speciation, cryptic divergence, and evolutionary convergence in the diversification of dark-eyed and yellow-eyed juncos (Aves: Emberizidae), Annual Meeting of the European Society of Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Lisbon, Portugal, August 20-25, 2013.
Milá, B., G. Friis, and P. Aleixandre. Cryptic divergence and evolutionary convergence in the diversification of the songbird genus Junco (Aves: Emberizidae), Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), Snowbird, Utah, USA, June 21-25, 2013.
Milá, B. and P. Aleixandre. Roles for selection and drift in the radiation of the North American avian genus Junco: implications for systematics and speciation. I Congreso Ibérico de Sistemática Animal (CISA), Madrid, Spain, January 17-19, 2012.
Milá, B., Speciation modes in birds: inference from phylogeography, population genetics and ecomorphology. Invited lecture, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain, January 26, 2012.
Milá, B. Potential roles of natural and sexual selection in two avian radiations: the North American bird genus Junco and the gray white-eye of Reunion Island. XIII Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Tübingen, Germany, August 20-25, 2011.
Milá, B, and A. Brelsford. Multilocus phylogeography reveals a complex evolutionary history involving mtDNA introgression, rapid phenotypic evolution and hybrid speciation in the yellow-rumped warbler complex (Aves: Dendroica coronata). III Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Madrid, Spain, 21-25 November, 2011.
Aleixandre, P. and B. Milá. Speciation on oceanic islands: Rapid adaptive divergence vs. cryptic speciation in a songbird on Guadalupe Island. III Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva (SESBE), Madrid, Spain, 21-25 November, 2011.
Milá, B. Especiación en aves. Curso Avanzado de Ornitología UCM-SEO/Birdlife, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Biología Animal, Madrid, Spain. July5, 2011.
Milá, B., Mecanismos de especiación en vertebrados: inferencia a partir de datos moleculares y ecomorfológicos. Invited lecture, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-IPF, Barcelona, Spain, February 16, 2011.
Milá, B., Julio Hernández Montoya, Ricardo Rodríguez Estrella. La radiación del género Junco en Norteamérica: geografía, glaciaciones, selección sexual y selección natural. XX Congreso Nacional de Ornitología, Tremp, Lleida, Spain. December 2010.
Milá, B. Filogeografía y evolución adaptativa de aves en islas del Pacífico mexicano: expediciones de campo y resultados moleculares y morfológicos preliminares. Jornadas del Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain. November 10, 2010.
Milá, B. Especiación en aves. Curso Avanzado de Ornitología UCM-SEO/Birdlife, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Biología Animal, Madrid, Spain. July 14, 2010.
Milá, B., P. Fitze, C. Thébaud, J. Clobert. El uso de AFLPs para la detección de estructura genética en vertebrados cuando el mtDNA no ayuda: ejemplos en aves, reptiles y anfibios. XVIII Seminario de Genética de Poblaciones y Evolución, Guitiriz, Lugo, Spain. May 5-7, 2010.
Milá, B. Population divergence and speciation modes in vertebrates: inference from phylogeography, population genetics and morphology. Invited lecture at the Edward Gray Institute, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. December 4, 2009.
Milá, B., B. Warren, P. Heeb, C. Thébaud. The role of vicariance and selection in structuring populations of a highly polymorphic endemic bird (Zosterops borbonicus) on the islands of Reunion and Mauritius. International Symposium on Islands and Evolution, Mahon, Menorca, Spain, September 2009.
Milá, B. Divergence mechanisms and speciation modes in vertebrates: inference from phylogeography, population genetics and morphology. Invited lecture at Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain. March 18, 2009.
Milá, B. Speciation modes in vertebrates: inference from phylogeography, population genetics and morphology. Invited lecture at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain. March 6, 2009.
Milá, B., P. Heeb, C. Thébaud. Multilocus genetic analysis reveals the role of vicariance and selection in structuring populations of a polymorphic endemic bird on the islands of Reunion and Mauritius. XVI Annual Meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Barcelona, Spain, June 5-8, 2008.
Milá, B. Using mtDNA and AFLP data to infer the role of historical and ecological factors in driving population differentiation and speciation in passerine birds. Invited lecture at the Université de Montpellier II, France. May 12, 2006.
Milá, B. The role of historical and ecological factors in driving population differentiation and speciation in temperate and tropical passerine birds. Invited lecture at the Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. April 26, 2006.
Milá, B., K. Wayne, and T.B. Smith. Evolutionary history and speciation in the yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata) complex. 124th Annual Meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. August 2005.
Milá, B., J. E. McCormack, G. Castañeda, T. B. Smith and R. K. Wayne. Rapid speciation and evolution of migration in North American songbirds driven by a recent postglacial expansion. 124th Annual Meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. August 2005.
Milá, B. El impacto de las glaciaciones en la filogeografía de aves: repercusiones para la especiación y la evolución de la migración. Invited lecture at the Ecology Seminar of the Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). July 29, 2004.
Milá, B. The role of glacial cycles in shaping songbird phylogeography: implications for speciation and the evolution of migration. Invited lecture at the Ecology Seminar of the Department of Wildlife Management, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA. March 25, 2004.
Milá, B., R. K. Wayne, and T.B. Smith. Phylogeography of migratory and sedentary populations of migrant landbirds: insights into the evolution of migration and historical demography. Birds of Two Worlds Symposium, Smithsonian Conservation Center, MD, USA, March 6-9, 2002.
Milá, B., S. Clegg, I. Lovette, M. Kimura, K. Ruegg and T.B. Smith. Linking breeding and overwintering areas for five Neotropical migrant passerines using genetic markers. Partners in Flight International Conference, Monterey, CA, March 20-24, 2002.
Milá, B., D.J. Girman, and T.B. Smith. Pleistocene effects on the phylogeography of MacGillivray’s warbler (Oporornis tolmiei): implications for speciation and conservation. VI Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Monterrey, Mexico, October 1999.
Milá, B., B. Woodbridge, and A. Méndez. Bird monitoring and conservation program at El Ocote Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico: a success story in international collaboration. VI Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Monterrey, Mexico, October 1999.
Milá, B., D.J. Girman, and T.B. Smith. Genetic evidence for a population bottleneck and a Pleistocene expansion in MacGillivray’s warbler (Oporornis tolmiei), a neotropical migratory bird. VII Annual Meeting of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Barcelona, Spain, August 1999.
Milá, B., D.J. Girman, and T.B. Smith. Genetic evidence for Pleistocene effects on the phylogeography of a neotropical migratory landbird. Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), Madison, WI, USA, July 1999.
Milá, B. Genetic evidence for a population bottleneck and a Pleistocene expansion in MacGillivray’s warbler (Oporornis tolmiei), a neotropical migratory bird. 80th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Pacific Division, San Francisco, USA, June 1999.
Milá, B. Applications of molecular techniques to bird conservation: case studies with neotropical migratory birds. Invited lecture at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico, October 1998.
Milá, B., D.J. Girman, and T.B. Smith. Phylogeography and population structure of MacGillivray’s warbler (Oporornis tolmiei). II North American Ornithological Conference, Joint Meeting of the North American Ornithological Societies (OSNA), Saint Louis, MO, USA, July 1998.
Milá, B. Training courses in landbird monitoring techniques in Latin America. V Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Asunción, Paraguay, August 1995.
Ralph, C.J. and B. Milá. Methodological model for monitoring landbird populations in the Neotropics. V Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Asunción, Paraguay, August 1995.
Ralph, C.J. and B. Milá. Towards an integrated and standardized monitoring program for landbirds in Latin America. International Wildlife Management Congress, San José, Costa Rica, September 1993.
Coalescence theory: foundations and applications, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, 6-8 july 2009. 15-hour course taught by Dr. Marcos Pérez Losada.
Ecology of Animal Migration, April 14-23, 2004, Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University, Sweden. Graduate course on animal migration with an emphasis on bird migration. The course included lectures, seminars and practical work on orientation and navigation, ecophysiology, evolution, genetics of migration, and migration modeling.
NOAAHS Course on Recent Advances in Conservation Genetics, August 1998, Conservation Research Center, Smithsonian Institution, Front Royal, VA, USA. Directed by Dr. Stephen O’Brien, National Cancer Institute. Overview of molecular techniques available for pursuing taxonomic and phylogenetic questions, with a special emphasis on the latest PCR-based technologies of DNA sequencing and microsatellites, and the computer programs available for analysis of molecular genetic data.
DNA Amplification and the Polymerase Chain Reaction, January 1996, Conservation Genetics Laboratory, San Francisco State University. 140-hour intensive course instructed by Dr. Cristián Orrego, U.C. Berkeley. Course covered theory and practice of DNA extraction techniques and amplification using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Professor in the Master Program in Biodiversity Conservation and Ecology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), Móstoles, Spain. Annual 25-hr class on the evolution, diversity, ecology and conservation of birds, including lectures, practicals and a field trip. Annually since spring 2015.
Teaching Assistant for Ornithology (OBEE 114), UCLA, Spring 2003
Teaching Assistant for Conservation Biology (OBEE 116), UCLA, Winter 2002
Teaching Assistant for Ornithology (Bio 580), San Francisco State University, Spring 1996
Coordinated and taught 14 field courses in field ornithology in Latin America as coordinator of PRBO’s Latin American Program. Two-week long courses included class presentations on introductory ornithology, avian ecology, methodological theory, project design and data analysis, as well as field practice in various ornithological techniques including species identification, mist netting and banding, point counts, transect counts, spot mapping, and nest monitoring. Courses were conducted in collaboration with the following institutions: Instituto Manantlán de Ecología y Conservación de la Biodiversidad (IMECBIO), Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico; Universidad Michoacana San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Michoacán, Mexico; Universidad Autónoma de Morelos, Morelos, Mexico; Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, Campeche, Mexico; Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica; Sistema de Parques Nacionales, Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (ANCON), Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá; Oliver Komar and Universidad de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador.
Guest instructor at the Neotropical Ornithology Course hosted by the Instituto de Ecología in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico (Hosts: Dr. Francisco Ornelas and Fernando González) in 1996 and 1998. Taught classes on bird monitoring and conservation, applications of molecular techniques to bird conservation, and avian phylogeography.
European Society of Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), American Ornithologists’ Union, Sociedad Española de Ornitología, Sociedad Española de Biología Evolutiva.
Fluent in Spanish and English, spoken and written; basic spoken French.