Oregon native David Craig is a professional naturalist and Professor of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Dave has a Ph.D. from the Department of Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder and a B.S. from Lewis & Clark College. He currently serves as Co-Director of Willamette's Science Collaborative Research Program and is the Past-Chair of the Pacific Seabird Group, a society of professional seabird researchers and managers dedicated to the study and conservation of seabirds and their environment. He is also a member of the nuthatch conservation working group of the “Road to Recovery - Bring Birds Back” Initiative.

Dave's published research focuses on avian behavioral ecology and birds' responses to human-modified ecosystems. His work combines life history, physiological, and ecological information to address questions related to migration, predation, parental care, and social behavior, and he is particularly interested in the natural history of crows, jays, ravens, terns, nuthatches, swallows, plovers, and murrelets. He is currently working on a project to conserve native white oaks and slender-billed white-breasted nuthatches that occur at Oregon Willamette Valley wineries.

Dave has conducted ecological field research and study abroad programs with students in Oregon's Columbia River Estuary and Willamette Valley ecosystems, American Samoa, Australia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Ireland, Mexico, and South Africa. He recently taught a study abroad course in Ireland called the Icons of Irish Natural History that explored the biological, cultural, and artistic significance of organisms across Ireland's diverse natural landscapes. Outside of Willamette University, he enjoys creating nature-based art, hosting Sunday dinners for his extended family, and posting natural history identification challenges to his followers on social media.

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