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Nicholas Barry Davies

b. 1952

British zoologist and professor

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About Nicholas Barry Davies

Born 1952. Nicholas Barry Davies is a British ornithologist and zoologist.

Nicholas Barry Davies (born 1952)

Education Davies was privately educated at the Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby and the University of Cambridge where he was a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Career and research Davies books with John Krebs helped to define the field of behavioural ecology, the study of how behaviour evolves in response to selection pressures from ecology and the social environment. Medal of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, 1996 President of the International Society for Behavioural Ecology, 2000-2002 British Trust for Ornithology / British Birds "Best Book of the Year Award" in 2000 (for Cuckoos, Cowbirds and Other Cheats) and in 2015 (for Cuckoo - Cheating by Nature). Frink Medal of the Zoological Society of London, 2001 Elliott Coues Medal of the American Ornithologists' Union, 2005 Hamilton Prize Lecture of the International Society for Behavioural Ecology, 2010 Croonian Medal and Lecture of the Royal Society, 2015 Godman Salvin Medal of the British Ornithologists' Union, 2022

Publications Behavioural Ecology - An Evolutionary Approach An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology Dunnock Behaviour and Social Evolution Cuckoos, Cowbirds and Other Cheats

Media coverage

In 2009, his research was featured as a BBC Natural World program "Cuckoo", produced by Mike Birkhead and narrated by David Attenborough.

In 2011 he presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary entitled 'The Cuckoo'.

In 2016 he was interviewed by Jim Al-Khalili for The Life Scientific.

In 2017 he was the guest of Michael Berkeley on the BBC Radio 3 show Private Passions.

In 2017 he appeared in an episode of the BBC Radio 4 Natural Histories series entitled "Cuckoo".

Personal life

Davies married Jan Parr in 1976 and has two children.

His entry in Who's Who lists his hobbies as cricket and birdwatching.

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Important facts

Born
1952
Birth century
Nationality
Employers
University of Cambridge
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society; William Bate Hardy Prize; Frink Medal; Croonian Medal and Lecture; ASAB Medal; Tinbergen Lecture; Godman-Salvin Medal
Also known as
Nicholas B. Davies, Nick Davies

People in Nicholas Barry Davies's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Nicholas Barry Davies's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Nicholas Barry Davies?

British zoologist and professor

When was Nicholas Barry Davies born?

Nicholas Barry Davies was born in 1952.

What is Nicholas Barry Davies's occupation?

Nicholas Barry Davies is an ornithologist and zoologist.

What nationality is Nicholas Barry Davies?

Nicholas Barry Davies is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Nicholas Barry Davies

· Wikidata: Q4201475

· DBpedia: Nicholas B. Davies (scientist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nicholas Barry Davies. https://biography.guide/nicholas-barry-davies/

MLA: "Nicholas Barry Davies." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nicholas-barry-davies/.

Chicago: "Nicholas Barry Davies." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nicholas-barry-davies/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-24 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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