M.T. Anderson

Matthew J Anderson, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology and is currently serving as Associate Dean of Social Sciences at Saint Joseph's University (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Dr. Anderson's research focuses on avian behavior, with a particular interest in flamingos and budgerigars. He studies the captive flock of Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the Philadelphia Zoo, and has also employed web cams trained on flamingo flocks around the globe in order to better understand the behavior of these highly social, iconic birds, and to perhaps gain some insight into the evolution and workings of general behavioral processes. His research on Caribbean flamingo resting behavior and efforts to answer the age-old question, "Why do flamingos stand on one leg?" have received substantial media attention. He is the author of over thirty scholarly articles and book chapters, has edited a book titled, Tasks and Techniques: A Sampling of Methodologies for the Investigation of Animal Learning, Behavior, and Cognition (Nova Science Publishers, ISBN 1-60021-126-7), and has written and illustrated a children's picture book titled, Pink Flamingos All Around (Speckled Egg Press, ISBN 978-1-62006-314-9, ISBN 978-1-62006-547-1). He is a member of the IUCN SSC Flamingo Specialist Group.