Donald K. Price

Professor of Biology
Expertise: Hawaiian Islands, Behavioral genetics, Evolutionary biology

Biography

Donald Price, a biologist and professor within UNLV's College of Sciences, is an expert on the evolution of species and the genetic factors that drive behavioral and physiological processes that allow species to diversify and adapt to their surroundings.

For years before joining UNLV, Price's work was based in Hawaii, which boasts high numbers of endemic species living among the islands' highly variable environments. At UNLV, his laboratory studies animals with wings, plants, and microbes. His work has explored a close relative of the common fruit fly called Hawaiian picture-wing flies (Drosophila), as well as ground beetles and endangered species such as the Hawaiian goose (nene), Hawaiian honeycreeper birds, and the Hawaiian hoary bat.

Price's research has been published in outlets including Ecology and Evolution, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and the American Journal of Botany.

Education

  • Ph.D., Ecology, Ethology and Evolution, University of Illinois

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Donald K. Price In The News

Good Housekeeping
It could be unreliable feeders, unreachable nectar, or the lack of a water feature, to name a few.
Real Simple
Turn your garden into a hummingbird magnet.
Good Housekeeping
If you’re newly into birdwatching, you might be wondering how to attract more flying friends to your backyard. Aside from the obvious (supplying food), it helps to add a bird bath.
Yahoo!
According to Donald K. Price, Ph.D., an ornithologist and professor of biology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, water features are key when it comes to bringing in the birds.

Articles Featuring Donald K. Price

students walking down stairs past UNLV signage, with the Flashlight sculpture in the background
Campus News | September 2, 2026

A selection of prominent headlines featuring UNLV experts from July and August.

undergraduates
Campus News | June 1, 2026

A collection of top headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.

springtime bees
Campus News | May 1, 2026

A flowery collection of top headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.

Campus landscape
Campus News | March 3, 2026

Some of the hottest headlines featuring UNLV faculty, staff, and students.