ICARUS Bird Mortality Project: Eurasian Kestrels at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center

When, where, and why do birds die?
This is the central question of the international ICARUS project www.ab.mpg.de/icarus-birds, which aims to track mortality events in birds throughout the year and across continents. By following five widespread species—European kestrel, common swift, song thrush, common blackbird, and European starling—researchers hope to reveal patterns and drivers of avian mortality, and how these differ across landscapes and life stages.

A Focus on the Eurasian Kestrel
The Eurasian kestrel, a once-common farmland raptor, is in decline in many parts of Europe due to intensifying agriculture and habitat loss. As part of the ICARUS initiative, we at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition (University of Vienna) are contributing our expertise in kestrel research to help understand the fate of this iconic species. Led by Petra Sumasgutner, a specialist in raptor movement ecology, our team aims to equip 2,000 Eurasian kestrels across Europe with lightweight SigFox transmitters. These tags allow us to follow the birds’ movements in real time and, crucially, to detect when and where mortality occurs. This will help identify critical periods and locations of risk in the kestrel’s life cycle, ultimately informing conservation strategies for this threatened farmland species.

How You Can Help
We’re currently looking for active kestrel nests to help us reach our tagging target. If you know of a kestrel nest in Vienna, Linz, Bezirk Gmunden or Kirchdorf —especially if you can send a photo of the brood so we can estimate the chicks’ age and determine the ideal tagging window—please get in touch!

Contact:
WhatsApp / Tel:  +43 660 2326888
Email: turmfalkeninfo@gmx.at
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TurmfalkenprojektWien
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wienerturmfalken
Your contribution could make a real difference to kestrel conservation across Europe.

 Upper Austrian Press Club Seniors discover the fascinating world of Greylag geese

A visit to the Konrad Lorenz Research Center in Grünau im Almtal turned into an extraordinary experience for the senior members of the Upper Austrian Press Club. Sonia Kleindorfer, head of the research center, impressed the group with her engaging and passionate presentation, offering fascinating insights into the behavior of wild greylag geese. The research team studies these birds intensively, assigning individual personality traits — such as boldness, exploratory behavior, aggressiveness, activity, and sociability — based on years of systematic and precise observation. During a guided walk through the Cumberland Wildlife Park, the group also had the chance to observe the rare Northern Bald Ibis — an endangered bird species that has been successfully reintroduced in recent years.

 Join us in a "Time and Space Sharing" approach to nature conservation!

The sandpiper is a declining species that nests directly on the pebble shores of the Alm rivers — without a proper nest or much camouflage. Its eggs are extremely vulnerable and can easily be stepped on by swimmers, walkers, or dogs. At the KLF, we’re working to protect these fragile "nests" by surrounding them with green mesh cages. The design allows the parent birds to come and go freely, while making the nest clearly visible — so we don’t accidentally crush it while enjoying nature. This is a new model we’re proposing: let’s not lock humans away from nature, but instead engage in an attitude of time and space sharing. With care and attention, we can all enjoy the riverbanks—while giving wildlife the room it needs to survive. When you see a cage like this, please avoid the area. In about a month, the chicks will fledge — and we’ll let you know when it’s safe to return.

Thank you for joining us in sharing time and space with nature.

Acknowledgment:
We thank the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) for their support. Funding generously provided by C321009, Gezielte Maßnahmen zur Erhöhung der Vogelvielfalt in Oberösterreich.

 New paper: Using wing bar patterns to identify sex in Crowned Eagles: A misleading field characteristic

A new study challenges the long-held assumption that Crowned Eagles can be sexed based on wing bar patterns. Our findings reveal significant individual variation in wing bar patterns, with no consistent differences between males and females. This suggests that plumage polymorphism or individual variation, rather than sex, may explain the patterning. We show that wing bar counts are not a reliable tool for sexing Crowned Eagles and lay the groundwork for future research on plumage development in ageing individuals.

Publication in Ostrich, Journal of African Ornithology:
Sumasgutner, S.C., Common, L.K., Thomsett, S., Downs, C.T. & Sumasgutner, P. (2025). Using wing bar patterns to identify sex in Crowned Eagles Stephanoaetus coronatus: A misleading field characteristic. Ostrich, 1-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2025.2459646

 Welcome Marcel

We welcome our new master student Marcel Vockner. Marcel's master thesis is on  ecological release of Darwin’s Medium Tree Finch after predator removal on Floreana Island.

 Welcome Lilou

Lilou Vautrin is a Master’s student at University of Rennes (France) attending the Animal and Human Behaviour program. She is currently working on the influence of the breeding period on cooperation of pairs of ravens at KLF for her Master’s thesis.

 New paper: A LEAP forward in wildlife conservation: A standardized framework to determine mortality causes in large GPS-tagged birds

Wildlife faces many threats from human activities, and understanding where and why animals die is crucial for conservation efforts. GPS tracking technology helps researchers monitor animal movements and locate deceased individuals, but determining the exact cause of death remains challenging. To address this, we developed the LIFE EUROKITE Assessment Protocol (LEAP)—a standardised approach for identifying causes of mortality in large birds fitted with GPS tags. LEAP combines three key sources of information: (1) GPS tracking data – to pinpoint where and when a bird stopped moving. (2) Site investigation – to gather evidence from the location. and (3) Necropsy (animal autopsy) – to analyse the remains for definitive causes of death. We applied LEAP to 329 deceased red kites, which allowed us to identify predation events but also poisoning incidents. LEAP offers clear guidelines for investigating mortality and represents a major step forward in wildlife conservation.

Publication in Ecology and Evolution:Panter, C.T., Nebel, C., Raab, M., Strauss, V., Freytag, C., Wojta, M., Böing, H., Hacker, P., Raab, R., Windt, J., Posautz, A., Kuebber-Heiss, A., Scherler, P., Grüebler, M.U., Kormann, U.G., Kolbe, M., Millon, A., De La Puente, J., Viñuela, J., Orr-Ewing, D., Krone, O., Langgemach, T., Åkesson, S., Mattsson, B., Sumasgutner, P. et al (2025): A LEAP forward in wildlife conservation: A standardized framework to determine mortality causes in large GPS-tagged birds. Ecology and Evolution doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70975

 ResearchRetreat of the joint PhD group from Barbara Klump's & Petra Sumasgutner's labs

The spring installment of the Research Retreat for the joint PhD group of Barbara Klump’s and Petra Sumasgutner’s labs has officially wrapped up - marking another inspiring and productive gathering. Over the course of the retreat our PhD candidates immersed themselves in a wide range of scholarly activities, from revising manuscripts and finalizing experimental designs to drafting grant proposals and developing advanced statistical code. The focused writing sessions were matched with equally meaningful downtime, offering a chance to recharge and connect over mountain hikes and lively evenings filled with Wingspan board games. These retreats continue to be a cornerstone of the joint PhD experience, blending rigorous academic work with community-building in the best possible way.

 Welcome Josue

We welcome our new PhD student Josue D. Arteaga-Torres! Josue is interested in studying predator behavior to understand population dynamics and promote better conservation practices. His PhD will focus on the population of short-eared owls from the Floreana Island rewilding project in the Galapagos.

 Spring meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of BirdLife Austria at the KLF

The Konrad Lorenz Research Center was the venue for this year's spring meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of BirdLife Austria. The eight-member board, which provides advice on scientific and conservation-related matters, impressively demonstrated that they are not only intellectually flexible—but spatially as well: Our group photo was taken just before departure to the train station. After all, professional expertise fits even in the smallest of spaces!

 We would like to introduce our new PostDoc: Dr. Emil Isaksson

We warmly welcome Emil and look forward to working with him!

Dr. Emil Isaksson is a cognitive ecologist interested in social learning and information use, environmental influences on cognition, and the causes and consequences of variation in cognition. In his PhD at the University of Ottawa, Canada, Emil investigated the effects of environmental challenges on social learning, social information use, and sociality of parids (tits and chickadees). For his postdoc, he will collaborate with Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar on the established raven (Corvus corax) study system at KLF. Emil will continue his research on variation in social learning and information use across environmental contexts, as well as include investigations into the evolutionary processes shaping cognition.

 New paper: Galápagos yellow warblers differ in behavioural plasticity in response to traffic noise depending on proximity to road

Acoustic communication between animals is increasingly disrupted by noise in human-altered environments, making signals less effective. In this study, we measured the effect of traffic noise on aggressive and vocal responses in an island bird, the Galapagos Yellow Warbler. Increasing vehicle traffic on the Galapagos Islands raises the question of how birds adapt to an increasingly noisy and human-influenced world. The bird territories we tested were either adjacent to the nearest road or at least 100 m away from it. The results showed that birds living in areas close to roads increased their aggression levels to the experimental noise compared to the control, while birds living further away from roads decreased their aggression levels. Birds also increased the minimum frequency of their songs during the noise treatment, regardless of their distance from a road. However, changes in the peak frequency and duration of their songs depended on the habitat in which they lived. Our results suggest behavioural flexibility in territorial responses and in bird song in response to traffic noise, which appears to depend, at least in part, on previous experience of traffic noise.

Publication in Animal Behaviour:
Hohl, L.*, Yelimlieş, A.*, Akçay, C., Kleindorfer, S. (2025). Galápagos yellow warblers differ in behavioural plasticity in response to traffic noise depending on proximity to road. Animal Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123119

Publication in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/20/traffic-noise-triggers-road-rage-among-male-galapagos-birds?CMP=share_btn_url

 New paper: High human presence is correlated with reduced faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in an urban bird population

We evaluated four enzyme immunoassays to identify the most suitable method for quantifying fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (stress-related steroid hormones) in red-winged starlings. The validated assay, 11-oxoaetiocholanolone, was then used to measure glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in the droppings of free-ranging urban starlings, assessing their response to fluctuating human presence. Interestingly, glucocorticoid levels were lower on weekdays when human activity was higher, suggesting that these birds may benefit from human presence—likely due to increased food availability and a perceived reduction in predation risk.

Publication in Hormones and Behavior:
Nhlapo, K., Cunningham, S.J., Sumasgutner, P., Ganswindt, A., McKechnie, A.E., Ngcamphalala, C.A. (2025). High human presence is correlated with reduced faecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in an urban bird population. Hormones and Behavior Doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105724

 Welcome Johanna

We welcome our new intern Johanna Buth. Johanna is studying  at the University of Konstanz (Germany). She is at the KLF for her internship to investigate interspecific interactions as show-off behaviour in Ravens (Corvus corax).

 New paper: Flight initiation distance is repeatable and geographically flexible in greylag geese

The decision to flee from an approaching threat represents a trade-off between the costs and benefits of flight. In this study, we measured flight initiation distances – a widely used proxy for fearfulness or boldness – in a free-roaming, human-habituated, and colour-banded population of greylag geese Anser anser. Our results suggest that greylag geese can adjust their behaviour based on environmental context and show individual differences in flight initiation distance that are consistent both within and across years.

Congratulations to Andrew Katsis on his photo that made it onto the cover of the Journal!

Publication in Journal of Avian Biology:
Katsis, A.C., Common, L.K., Lesigang, J., Bold, A., Fröhlich, M., Schmincke, J.-M., Frigerio, D., Kleindorfer, S. (2025). Flight initiation distance is repeatable and geographically flexible in greylag geese Anser anser. J Avian Biol e03288. doi.org/10.1111/jav.03288

 New Alumnus: Marc Surlemont

Congratulations to Marc on his graduation! Marc´s thesis “Not so bold after all? A study of personality and anti-predator responses in greylag geese" was supervised by Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New paper: Ordinal-Level Resilience of Invertebrates After Fire Events in Eucalypt Woodlands of South-Eastern Australia

Fire disturbance is an integral part of many ecosystems. However, some taxa may not be resilient to the increasing size, intensity, and frequency of fire events due to climate change. We investigated how terrestrial invertebrate Ordinal-level community structure and the abundance of six Orders (Acarina, Araneae, Coleoptera, Collembola, Diptera, Hymenoptera: Formicidae) changed following three natural fire events over two decades (2007–2022) in Kangaroo Island and mainland South Australia. We collected invertebrates using two methods (pitfall traps and sweep nets) at four sites (two burnt and two unburnt) every 6 months, before and after three fire events (2007, 2019, 2021). Ordinal-level community structure generally showed signs of recovery nearing pre-fire conditions within 20–22 months post-fire. The pitfall samples showed increased abundance in Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera (Formicidae) following fire, and no change in Acarina abundance. The sweep net samples showed no recovery to pre-fire conditions on mainland South Australia, but recovery to baseline after 20–22 months on Kangaroo Island. There were significant shifts in invertebrate community structure across time-since-fire with a return to pre-fire conditions at burnt sites after 20–22 months. These findings demonstrate the apparent ordinal-level resilience of invertebrates in South Australian eucalypt woodlands, particularly of ground-dwelling species, but also point to Order specific differences that warrant future study.

Publication in Austral Ecology:
Common, L.K.*, Kotz, P.S.*, Colombelli-Négrel, D., Kleindorfer, S. (2025). Ordinal-level resilience of invertebrates after fire events in eucalypt woodlands of south-eastern Australia'. Austral Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70024

 Welcome Neve

We welcome our new master's student Neve Barcat. Neve is doing her master´s degree in Acoustic Research at the University of Le Mans (France). She is at the KLF for her internship to discover bioacoustics and to write her master's thesis on sounds emitted by ravens during SADs (self aggrandizing displays).

 New paper: Genomic introgression between critically endangered and stable species of Darwin’s tree finches on the Galapagos Islands

We measured selection for private alleles in a pair of species currently hybridising on the Galapagos Islands. Evidence for the introgression or selection of beneficial genes in hybrids raises questions about their evolutionary significance. In Darwin's tree finches on Floreana Island (Galapagos, Ecuador), the critically endangered medium tree finch (Camarhynchus pauper) is undergoing introgression with the stable small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus), and hybrids are regularly backcrossed with C. parvulus. Of 4869 private alleles found in hybrid birds, 348 were high frequency (≥0.30), exceeding their parental species of origin 89-96% of the time. Over the two years, 3436 (70.6%) private alleles showed a significant (≥0.30) increase or decrease in allele frequency. Of these, 28 private alleles were identified as candidate loci under selection using local PCA genome scans and outlier tests. Alleles were annotated to genes associated with inflammation, immunity, brain function and development. We provide evidence that introgression in a critically endangered and stable species of Darwin's Tree Finch is maintained by selection over years, and may contribute to the conservation of genetic diversity in birds threatened with extinction.

Video: Critically endangered medium tree finch male singing

Publication in Evolutionary Applications: 
Dudaniec, R.Y., Yadav, S., Catchen, J., Kleindorfer, S. (2025). Genomic introgression between critically endangered and stable species of Darwin’s tree finches on the Galapagos Islands. Evolutionary Applications 18 (1), p.e70066. doi.org/10.1111/eva.70066

 New paper: Flight initiation distance is repeatable and geographically flexible in greylag geese

We aimed to disentangle whether site-specific differences in predator avoidance are due to behavioural plasticity or non-random distribution of behavioural phenotypes. In this study, we measured flight initiation distances - a widely used proxy for fearfulness or boldness - in a free-ranging, human-associated and colour-banded population of greylag geese (Anser anser). First, we tested whether individuals flexibly adjusted their flight initiation distance based on environmental context by approaching the same individuals at two sites with different levels of human presence. Second, we tested whether flock members showed consistent differences in flight initiation distance towards unfamiliar humans. Our results suggest that greylag geese can adapt their behaviour to environmental context and show individual differences in flight initiation distance that are consistent both within and across years. These findings support the expression of more fine-tuned, locally differentiated behaviour in wild birds than has previously been recognised.

Publication in Journal of Avian Biology:
Katsis, A.C., Common, L.K., Lesigang, J., Fröhlich, M., Schmincke, J.M., Frigerio, D., Kleindorfer, S. (2024). Flight initiation distance is repeatable and geographically flexible in greylag geese Anser anser. Journal of Avian Biology p.e03288 doi.org/10.1111/jav.03288

 New paper: Exploring the genetics behind plumage colour in Black Sparrowhawks

We investigated the genetic basis of colour variations in black sparrowhawks, an African raptor species with two adult plumage types—light and dark—and varied rufous juvenile coloration. Adult colour differences are due to varying levels of eumelanin (a type of pigment) in feathers, but not to mutations in key pigmentation genes, such as MC1R or ASIP. Instead, the lighter adult morphs showed higher ASIP gene activity, which suppressed other genes involved in melanin production. In juveniles, differences in rufous plumage were linked to varying levels of two pigments, eumelanin and pheomelanin, with similar patterns of gene activity observed. Interestingly, the results challenge the established "pigment type-switching" model, suggesting that increased ASIP expression does not simply shift pigment production from eumelanin to pheomelanin. This study underscores the importance of studying wild species to better understand genetic and molecular mechanisms beyond lab-based models.

Publication in Journal of Heredity:
Rodseth, E., Amar, A., Sumasgutner, P., Ingle, R.A. (2024). Plumage polymorphism in the black sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) is strongly associated with expression level of agouti signalling protein. Journal of Heredity.  doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esae068

 Winner Science Book 2024: "Die erstaunliche Welt der Graugänse" from Sonia Kleindorfer

Congratulations to Sonia Kleindorfer - The magazine “bild der wissenschaft” has once again chosen the science books of the year in six categories, and we are delighted that “Die erstaunliche Welt der Graugänse” has won the audience award in the entertainment category.

Thank you from Sonia: Thank you to Brandstätter Verlag, especially to Nikolaus Brandstätter and Judith E Innerhofer for the incredible support for the book from start to finish! The Brandstätter team is exceptional. Thank you Patrica McAllister-Käfer for your skill and unwavering spirit as an assistant writer of the German language. My heart goes out to the goose parents, students, volunteers and scientists whose decades of study and care have gone into this book. And a very special thank you to every nature supporter and greylag goose: thank you for existing. 

The announcement: Majestic, clever and now award-winning: the greylag goose is officially the public's favourite! Like a true leading goose, it has asserted itself in the flock of nominees - and we are delighted to be represented again this year at Bild der Wissenschaft as science book of the year 2024.

A thank you to over 6,000 votes: The public vote was as lively as a morning gathering of geese by the lake: more than 6,000 enthusiastic readers voted, proving that scientific literature can be entertaining as well as informative.

What makes this Greylag Goose book so special?
The book invites you on a captivating journey of discovery. It sheds light on the lives of these extraordinary birds with their rich social dynamics, their remarkable behaviour and their deep connection to nature - an entertaining yet educational experience for readers of all ages.

 Welcome Lara

Lara Howard is pursuing her degree in Conservation Biology at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and is working in our Crowned Eagle Project for her thesis. Her research focuses on adult Crowned Eagles in Durban, South Africa, where she analyses GPS and accelerometer data to uncover how these majestic raptors adapt to urban environments. By examining their energy expenditure in this unique habitat, Lara aims to shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by wildlife in cities.

 Book presentation in the Grünau library: The amazing world of the greylag geese Graugänse

Sonia Kleindorfer shares stories about Greylag Geese at the Gruenau Bookstore 30 Nov 8 pm. René Freund is the moderator.

More information (German)

 Welcome Felix

Felix is doing a Voluntary Environmental Year at the KLF (Youth Environmental Platform JUMP). The activities include assistance in animal care, data collection and public relations work. Parallel to the volunteer work, Felix completes the accompanying "FUJ training course".

 New Alumna: Francesca Castellazzi

Congratulations to Francesca on her graduation! Francesca has worked on "Which cues elicit begging in Great tit nestlings? Does traffic noise mask them?". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer, PD Dr. Didone Frigerio, Lauren Common, PhD, (all University of Vienna) and  Ass.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Kotrschal (Wageningen University).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumna: Roosmarijn Ernsten

Congratulations to Roosmarijn on her graduation! Roosmarijn has investigated "Detectability of bird eggs in a riverine ecosystem using drone technology with an infrared camera". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer, PD Dr. Didone Frigerio, Dr. Shane Sumasgutner, Dr. Lauren Common (all University of Vienna) and Ass.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Kotrschal (Wageningen University).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Lena

We welcome our new volunteer Lena Cantele. Lena is studying "Animal Management" with a specialization in   International Wildlife Management at the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden (NL). She will be at the KLF for 5 months working with the greylag geese.

 Corvid Workshop 2024 at the KLF

From October 15 to 18, the corvid workshop "Ecology meets Cognition" took place at the KLF in Grünau.

 Welcome Sabrina

We welcome our new master's student Sabrina Cighetti. Sabrina is studying Cognitive Science- Fundamental Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Trento. She is at the KLF for her internship project and investigates emotional and behavioural contagion of ravens and the way they vary according to the relationships between conspecifics.

 Article in The New Yorker: How Scientists Started to Decode Birdsong

"How Scientists Started to Decode Birdsong - Language is said to make us human. What if birds talk, too?" Sonia Kleindorfer talks about her findings on vocalization in birds - from greylag geese to superb fairy wrens!

The New Yorker: How Scientists Started to Decode Birdsong

 Visit by Dr. Cristina Castracani

We welcome Cristina Castracani, a visiting researcher form the University of Parma. Cristina is an ethologist and adjunct professor in Italy. She studies the behavior of social insects with a special focus on ants. She also applies Citizen Science by invovling Italian schools in her activities. Her visit ill allow us to brain storm and conceive a project proposal merging citizen science and biodiversity monitoring.

 Job vacancy: University Assistant postdoctoral

This 5-year position is announced by Prof.Dr. Thomas Bugnyar and shall intensify the cooperation between the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology and the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition in Grünau im Almtal. We are looking for a researcher with expertise in social cognition and communication and a sincere interest in studying ravens in their natural environment. The successful candidate will be primarily based at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Grünau im Almtal. Preference will be given to applicants with field work experience, social dynamics, bioacoustics, and/or social information transmission. 

University Assistant postdoctoral

 Welcome Max

We welcome our new master's student Max Schwengel. Max is studying Biology at the Ruhr University Bochum. For his master´s project he is collecting data at the KLF and investigating the factors that affect the variation in calling in ravens (corvus corax) and if calls change in base of social/foraging environment.

 New Alumna: Rita Götz

Congratulations to Rita on her graduation! Rita investigated if "relationship quality affects cooperation in common raven (Corvus corax) pairs during the breeding season". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New paper: Aggressive behavior as a predictor of home range size: findings from both range-restricted and widespread Darwin’s finch species

Information about an animal's home range (the geographic area where it accesses resources for survival and reproduction) is critical for understanding animal behavior in general and for developing conservation management plans in particular. Because individuals in a population can exhibit consistently different behaviors, we are interested in how individual differences in aggression and exploration are related to home range size, which we studied in Darwin's finches. The results show that aggressive Darwin's finches had smaller home ranges, with no consistent pattern between exploration and home range size. Repeatable behavioural traits such as aggression can predict home range size, which may be an important tool for conservation and management of endangered species, for example, when selecting individuals with different personality profiles for reintroduction.

Publication in Journal of Ornithology:
García-Loor, J., Gallego-Abenza, M., Katsis, A.C. et al. Aggressive behavior as a predictor of home range size: findings from both range-restricted and widespread Darwin’s finch species. J Ornithol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02215-7

 Welcome Greg

We welcome our new master's student Greg Nikolopoulos. Greg is investgating the role of raven communication on foraging and further exploring the relationship between them, using the loose-string paradigm on wild and captive ravens.

 New Alumnus: Johannes Ploderer

Congratulations to Johannes on his graduation! Johannes thesis is on “Personality and home range use in Galapagos short-eared owls (Asio flammeus ssp. Galapagoensis)". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer and Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumnus: Irai Paetow de Jesus

Congratulations to Irai on his graduation! Irai investigated this question in his master's thesis “Are Greylag Geese (Anser anser) able to visually discriminate when presented with pictures of conspecifics?". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Isabella

We welcome our new master's student Isabella Graßmann. Isabella is working with the young ravens and she investigates whether there is a correlation between personality traits and life expectancy.

 Welcome Marie

We welcome our new master's student Marie Ossola who is in her second year of IMABEE - International Master of Biodiversity Ecology and Evolution (Rennes and Göttingen). Marie is at the KLF to do her master thesis on the RobotFalcon project (drone experiment) with greylag geese.

 Welcome Carolina

We welcome our new intern Carolina Natterer. Carolina is studying Biology in Vienna. At the KLF she is working with the juvenile ravens.

 New paper: Developmental stage shapes the realized energy landscape for a flight specialist

Animals try to optimise their energy use by adjusting where and how they move. While much research has focused on how external environmental factors influence these energy dynamics, this study highlights the importance of the animal's internal state, such as age and development, in determining how they experience and navigate their energy landscape. We focused on the golden eagle population in the Central European Alps, a species that relies on energy-efficient soaring flight. In an international team lead by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the Swiss Ornithological Institute, we tracked 55 young eagles and found that as the birds matured, their ability to move efficiently across the landscape improved significantly. Over the first three years of their independence, the area they could potentially navigate increased by 2170-fold. This research shows that an animal's development plays a crucial role in shaping its energy landscape, which in turn affects its movement patterns. Understanding this can help predict animal behaviors and responses to changing environments.

Publication in eLife:
Nourani, E., Faure, L., Brønnvik, H., Scacco, M., Bassi, E., Fiedler, W., Grüebler, M.U., Hatzl, J.S., Jenny, D., Roverselli, A., Sumasgutner, P., Tschumi, M., Wikelski, M. & Safi, K. (2024) Developmental stage shapes the realized energy landscape for a flight specialist. eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.98818.2

 Event as part of Salzkammergut2024 - The european capital of culture: Academy of Games

This year, instead of the Biologicum Almtal, we are organizing the “Academy of Games” as part of Salzkammergut 2024. They will take place from Sunday, 22.9. to Friday 27.9. in the event location Pfarrhof Grünau im Almtal. On the one hand, there are public programs such as the lecture by the well-known composer and theater maker Heiner Goebbels on Sunday (22.9.), a public presentation with the artists Parastou Forouhar and Manuel Gorkiewicz as well as the Frankfurt freitagsküche and the Wirtshauslabor Salzkammergut2024 on Thursday (26.9. from 3 pm) and excursions in the Almtal in cooperation with NATURSCHAUSPIEL.at on Friday (27.9. from 10 am). Workshops with the artist and activist Parastou Forouhar and the artist Manuel Gorkiewicz will also be offered from Monday to Thursday. Registration is required for these!

Further information can be found here:
https://www.salzkammergut-2024.at/projekte/akademie-der-spiele/
https://biologicum-almtal.univie.ac.at/akademie-der-spiele/

 Welcome Lea

We welcome our new intern Lea Lehfuss. Lea is doing an internship at the KLF as part of the FFG program "Young Talents Internships for High School Students – Four Weeks in Science and Technology". 

 New Alumnus: Martin Reichebner

Congratulations to Martin on his graduation. Martin´s thesis is on “Home range sizes of Nankeen kestrels in South Australia across the annual cycle". The thesis was supervised by Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Marie

We welcome our new intern Marie Truhlářová, doctorate student at Charles University in Prague. Marie specialised in ethology and ecology, specifically in predator and prey interactions and aposematism in insects. Her internship at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center will consist of field work with greyleg geese and collection of data for two main projects. Marie will participate in a drone experiment and in monitoring behavior of individual greylag geese using a special app. 

 New Alumna: Marina Gehbauer

Congratulations to Marina on her graduation! Marina´s thesis is on “Human-falcon relationships (within the field of nature-society interactions) can trigger positive emotions and make residents more likely to engage in conservation activities". The thesis was supervised by Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Groundbreaking ceremony: Konrad Lorenz Research Center gets Open Science Center

Almtal becomes a model region for science education in the field of biodiversity and environmental conservation

On Wednesday June 17, the ground-breaking ceremony for the Open Science Center at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center of the University of Vienna in Grünau am Almtal (Upper Austria) took place. From 2025, science enthusiasts of all ages will be able to gain a first-hand insight into biologists' research here. The KLF Open Science Center will serve as a hub for collaboration between science, education, business and society and will expand the existing offerings. The new Open Science Center is being financed by the province of Upper Austria, the University of Vienna and the Cumberland Wildlife Park in Grünau.

More information

 New Alumna: Stefanie Bachmann

Congratulations to Stefanie on her graduation! Stefanie´s thesis is on “Effects of resource availability and distribution on grouping dynamics and foraging strategies in an urban population of crows (Corvus corone ssp.)". The thesis was supervised by PD Dr. Didone Frigerio (University of Vienna) and Dr. Palmyre Boucherie (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumnus: Jonas Lesigang

Congratulations to Jonas on his graduation. Jonas´ thesis is on “Function and individuality of different call types in greylag geese". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer (University of Vienna) and co-supervised by Dr. Andrew Katsis and Alper Yelimlies, MSc. (both University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Lindsey

We welcome our new intern Lindsey Ellington. Lindsey is working on a research project with captive ravens here at the KLF. Her project involves using the string pulling task to study social learning in juvenile ravens.

 New paper: Maternal in-nest call structure reduces habituation risk in songbird embryos

In some songbirds, females produce a multi-element call to their embryos to teach them a signature password that the embryos learn inside the egg and, after hatching, produce as their begging call. In this study, we ask: why do mother superb fairywrens have an in-nest call that contains two element types if the embryos only need to learn one element type to produce as their begging call? We experimentally broadcast calls with one or two elements to embryos. Embryos exposed to the B element only habituated to the sound and stopped responding, whereas embryos exposed to a mix of A and B elements maintained a similar level of responsiveness. The results of this study suggest that one benefit of mothers producing two elements in their calls is to reduce the risk of habituation in their embryos so that they remain attentive and responsive to learning cues.

Publication in Journal of Avian Biology:
Austin V, Common LK, Colombelli-Négrel D, Kleindorfer S (2024). Maternal in-nest call structure reduces habituation risk in songbird embryos. Journal of Avian Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.03274

 New paper: Diet diversity, individual heterozygosity and habitat heterogeneity influence health parameters in Eurasian kestrels

Agricultural intensification has reduced habitat diversity, leading to a decline in farmland birds like Eurasian kestrels. Raptors are important indicators for ecosystem health. In this study we examine how habitat diversity, genetic diversity, and diet diversity affect five health parameters: colouration, dietary antioxidants (carotenoids), haematocrit, body condition, and parasite infections. Conducted in western Finland during a low vole year, the study found no clear link between habitat diversity and diet diversity. Female kestrels with specialised vole-based diets maintained brighter colours, but only if they also had higher genetic diversity. Genetically more diverse (heterozygotic) females were also less infected with parasites. Vole-specialist males had better body condition regardless of their genetics. These findings suggest that individual traits and foraging ecology should be considered alongside habitat diversity to understand kestrel health, helping to understand the impact of land-use changes on farmland birds.

Publication in Ibis:
Hochleitner, L., Korpimäki, E., Chakarov, N., Isaksson, C., Nebel, C., Renner, S.C., Vasko, V., Voigt, C.C., Terraube, J. & Sumasgutner, P. Ibis 2024-07. Journal article DOI: doi.org/10.1111/ibi.13345

 Congratulations to Sarah Guttenberger for STSM Grant

We congratulate Sarah Guttenberger, MSc student in the Eurasian Kestrel Project, to a STSM (short-term scientific mission) Grant provided by the COST Action EUFLYNET to work with Inês Catry in Portugal. The team spent time in the field in Castro Verde, to test prototypes of the ICARUS TinyFox system provided by Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour. They captured 6 adults and 4 juveniles and are very impressed by the high resolution data return to detail kestrel movement and activity patterns.

 New paper: Pleiotropic effects of melanin pigmentation in black sparrowhawks

Researchers are recognising the varied effects of melanin pigmentation on bird immunity. In black sparrowhawks (Accipiter melanoleucus) in western South Africa, light morphs have higher haemoparasite infection intensities than dark morphs, though these infections show no physiological effects. The study examined if these infections affect telomere length (a cellular ageing measure) and if telomere length is related to colour morph or sex. Dark morphs had fewer infections, but telomere length was unaffected by infection status or colour morph. Males had longer telomeres than females. Further research is needed to understand how plumage colour might influence other traits and the role this plays in maintaining colour diversity within colour polymorphic species.

Publication in Royal Society Open Science:
Rodseth, E., Sumasgutner, P., Tate, G., Nilsson, J.F., Watson, H., Maritz , M.F., Ingle, R.A., Amar, A. Royal Society Open Science 2024-04. Journal article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230370

 Rudolphina Roadtrip

Rudolphina is the research magazine of the University of Vienna. We are delighted to have been visited as part of the Rudolphina road trip. The result is the article and a great video about our ongoing work.

https://rudolphina.univie.ac.at/rudolphina-roadtrip-zur-konrad-lorenz-forschungsstelle-gruenau

 New Alumna: Johanna Lauffer

Congratulations to Johanna on her graduation! Johanna´s thesis is on “Relationship quality in free-flying ravens (Corvus corax)". The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumna: Johanna Weber

Congratulations to Johanna on her graduation! Johanna´s thesis is on “Occupancy preference and breeding success in secondary hole-nesting birds depending on nest box material and familiarity". The thesis was supervised by PD Dr. Didone Frigerio and co-supervised by Dr. Josef Hemetsberger (University of Vienna) and Dr. Wolfgang Vogl (Vetmed Uni Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Lennart

We welcome our new intern Lennart Jungkunst from Stuttgart. Lennart will start studying biology next winter semester and is currently supporting us with the monitoring of the greylag geese and the cavity-nesting project.

 Welcome Rosmarijn

We welcome our new master's student Rosmarijn Ernsten who is studying Biology at Wageningen University and Research. For her MSc thesis she will monitor the Common Sandpiper at the pebble shores along the Alm river and create a methodology on how to monitor the riverine birds with a thermal imaging drone.

 Welcome Danyang

We welcome our new master's student Danyang Shi who is studying at Wageningen University and Research. For her MSc research practice Danyang is at the KLF to investigate the ontogeny of agonistic behavior and aggression in greylag geese goslings.

 Welcome Amit

We welcome our new master's student Amit Kumar who is studying Forest Sciences at the University of Padua, currently on Erasmus exchange at Wageningen University and Research. For his Master's thesis Amit is at the KLF to monitor the nest-box bird population and investigate the impact of traffic noise on the heart rate in Great tits.

 Welcome Caitie

We welcome our new volunteer Caitie Adams. Caitie is from Australia and will be at the KLF for a 5-month internship, participating in the monitoring of greylag goose behaviour.

 Welcome Edoardo

We welcome our new master's student Edoardo Bonte who is studying Environmental Sustainability at the University of Padua. For his Master's thesis Edoardo will monitor the nest-box bird population and investigate the impact of traffic noise on parental care in Great tits.

 Floreana Island ecological restoration project

KLF research team helps Darwin's finches fly home after seven months in captivity. The finches were kept safe as part of the ambitious Floreana Island ecological restoration project on the Galapagos archipelago. In this interview, Sonia Kleindorfer gives an overview of the project, which provides hope for the future as many people work together to restore ecosystems.

https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/news/all-news-stories/qa-with-biologist-prof-sonia-kleindorfer/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oIq_IpV1h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA

 Welcome Francesca

We welcome our new master's student Francesca Castellazzi who is studying Forest and Nature Conservation at Wageningen University (Netherlands). For her Master's thesis Francesca will monitor the nest-box bird population and the investigate the impact of traffic noise on begging behavior of Great tits.

 Congratulations to Carina Nebel: BioOne Ambassador Award

Congratulations to Carina Nebel for winning the BioOne Ambassador Award for advancing our understanding of an important flagship species, the Golden Eagle, by combining scientific methods with cultural traditions.

In the picture: Eagle researcher meets Eagle hunter: gently, a feather is plucked from the breast of the falconry Golden Eagle. This procedure is harmless to the Eagle and one feather per bird is enough for science.

Genetic Analysis of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) from the Mongol-Altai: A Hotspot of Diversity and Implications for Global Phylogeography. Carina Nebel; Elisabeth Haring; Megan Murgatroyd; Shane C. Sumasgutner; Sundev Gombobaatar; Petra Sumasgutner; Frank E. Zachos Journal of Raptor Research (2023) 57 (3): 359–374. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-22-57

 New Alumna: Avila Bold

Congratulations to Avila on her graduation! Avila has worked on “The ontogeny of antipredator behaviour in common ravens". The thesis was supervised by Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna) and co-supervised by Silvia Damini MSc (University of Vienna) and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Stoeck (Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Antoine

Antoine studied "Ecology and Evolution" at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle and is at the KLF for a 5-month internship before starting his PhD. Antoine will work on the ontogeny of calls in greylag geese.

 Happy Easter

Happy Easter and wonderful holidays!

 New Alumnus: Jakob Schorn

Congratulations to Jakob Schorn on his graduation! Jakob has worked on "Species-diversity and -dominance among secondary hole nesting birds depending on human presence", and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by PD Dr. Didone Frigerio (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Martin

We welcome our new Master's student Martin Reichebner. He is studying biology and environmental studies to become a teacher and is fascinated by all kinds of birds. He is particularly interested in raptors. For his master's thesis project, Martin is working with movement data from Australian Nankeen Kestrels and will visualize them.

 Welcome Rita

We welcome our new master's student Rita Götz who is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For her Master's thesis Rita will investigate if relationship quality affects cooperation in common raven (Corvus corax) pairs during the breeding season.

 Welcome Bram

We welcome our new master's student Bram van Beek who is studying Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience (BCN) at the University of Groningen. For his Master's thesis Bram will focus on how social context and the strength of relationships affect solving a string-pulling task in free-flying common ravens (Corvus corax).

 New Alumnus: Egon Lind

Congratulations to Egon on his graduation! Egon has worked on “Seasonal and cohort-specific survival rates of common raven in an anthropogenic alpine environment”, and thus completed the MSc program Conservation Biology and Biodiversity Management at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar and Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New paper: Elevational differences in territory defence response in native forest birds

The aim of this study is to examine the response of Fijian forest bird species to conspecific intruders using playback of previously recorded songs along an elevational gradient. We address two questions: Do different foraging guilds in Fiji’s forest birds show different patterns of territorial defence behaviour towards conspecific intruders? Secondly, do Fiji’s forest birds show stronger territorial defence at higher elevations? This study provides first insights into response to conspecifics in Fiji’s forest birds that can be explored in relation to avian behaviour also in the context of human activity, human disturbance and threats to the persistence of birds across elevational gradients.

Publication in New Zealand Journal of Zoology
Naikatini, A.N., Keppel, G., Brodie, G. and Kleindorfer, S., 2024. Elevational differences in territory defence response in native (endemic and non-endemic) forest birds on Viti Levu Island, Fiji. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, pp.1-16.

 New paper on the buzz vocalizations of Darwin's tree finches

Signals of aggression may potentially reduce the fitness costs of conflict during agonistic interactions if they are honest. Here we examined whether the ‘buzz’ vocalization in two species of Darwin’s finches, the small tree finch, Camarhynchus parvulus, and the critically endangered medium tree finch, C. pauper, found in Floreana Island, Galápagos Archipelago, is a signal of aggression. Specifically, we assessed three criteria for aggressive signalling (context, predictive, and response criteria) in an observational study and a playback experiment. the results support the aggressive signal hypothesis for buzz vocalizations, although future studies are needed to understand the evolution and development of this interesting signal.

Publication in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society:
Çağlar Akçay, Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer, Buzzes are used as signals of aggressive intent in Darwin’s finches, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024;, blad152, doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blad152

 New book on Greylag Geese! By Sonia Kleindorfer

In this book, behavioural biologist Sonia Kleindorfer, who heads the Konrad Lorenz Research Centre in Grünau im Almtal, takes us into the world of animals that were once revered as god-like. The courageous Triton, the influential Leia, the shy Edes, Dorothea, who was rebellious as a gosling but is now particularly gentle, or Ivan, the Casanova: with passion and the latest findings from her research, Kleindorfer tells us about life with the greylag geese in the Almtal valley - and about a new model for thinking about biodiversity in a world that could benefit from extremely vigilant herbivores that stabilise ecosystems.

https://www.brandstaetterverlag.com/buch/die-erstaunliche-welt-der-graugaense/

 Superb fairy-wren fieldwork season in South Australia

Our superb fairy-wren fieldwork season in South Australia comes to an end today. We share a picture of the final hatchling of the 2023/24 season. Thank you to Lauren Common, Vicky Austin, and Diane Colombelli-Négrel.

Here a link to a paper that will be in print in February!

 Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

The team of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center wishes you Merry Christmas, relaxing holidays and all the best for the New Year!

 New Alumnus: Arnout Lindeman

Congratulations to Arnout on his graduation! Arnout has worked on “Do ravens seize the day or chicken out? Foraging decisions of wild birds in unfamiliar and unpredictable environments”, and thus completed the MSc program at Wageningen University. The thesis was supervised by Ass.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Kotrschal (Wageningen University), Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar and Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Ilona

We welcome our new master's student Ilona Koskela. Ilona studies ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Helsinki and her main interests are in the field of behavioral ecology. She is particularly fascinated with intelligence and sociality among animals. For her master's thesis project, Ilona is studying the social bonds of free-ranging non-breeder ravens.

 Celebration! 50 years of animal behaviour research! 50th Nobel Prize Anniversary Ethology Colloquium!

On 12 December 1973, Konrad Lorenz, Karl von Frisch and Nikolaas Tinbergen were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1973 "for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns". On 12 December 2023, we celebrated this 50-year anniversary with a special Nobel Prize Anniversary Ethology Colloquium held at the University of Vienna Biology Building. Three internationally renowned animal behaviour researchers, Prof. Amanda Seed, Prof. Megan Crofoot, and Prof. Lars Chitka, inspired a broad audience with their research into surprising and marvellous patterns of animal complexity. The poster session sparked discussion, and the well-attended gathering contributed further celebratory moments on this special day. The event was organised and hosted by the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition and the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna.

 50 years of KLF: welcome to our open days December 2nd and 3rd

We invite all interested people to the "Open Days" on December 2nd and 3rd! Drop by, we look forward to your visit!

Tip: also visit the atmospheric Christmas market in the neighboring wildlife park!
https://wildpark.at/veranstaltungskategorie

 KLF Open Science Center

The KLF Open Science Center is to be established as a center for cooperation between science, education, business and society in Grünau im Almtal in Upper Austria. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center, we want to establish the Open Science Center by redesigning the former "Wirtschaftshof" in the Cumberland Gamepark.

The initiative underlines the long-standing cooperation between many players in the valley! For 50 years, the partnership between the Konrad Lorenz Research Center and the Cumberland Wildlife Park has grown. Each year, KLF staff members lead summer science programs for children, create guided tours with a scientific focus, and engage the community through award-winning citizen science programs.

The Open Science Center will promote education, communication and exchange around science-based thinking about biodiversity goals. We want to establish the Almtal region as a pioneer in Austria for cooperation between science, education, business and society.

More information:
https://klf-opensciencecenter.univie.ac.at/

 New Alumna: Rebekka Kreikenbohm

Congratulations to Rebekka Kreikenbohm on her graduation! Rebekka defended her Master Thesis on “Effects of weather and climate on Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) breeding performance in the Northern Limestone Alps”, completing her Master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Wildlife Management at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. In her work, she found that cold weather with high precipitation in winter and spring can have a positive effect on the breeding performance of Golden Eagles. The thesis was supervised by Assistant Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner, Dr. Matthias Loretto und Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer.

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Jonas

We welcome our new master's student Jonas Lesigang who has, after completing a masters in psychology, also discovered an interest in biology. For his Master's thesis Jonas wants to find out more about different call types - departure calls, recruitment calls, and contact calls in Greylag geese.

 Online seminar series: African Birds of Prey - Warriors of the Sky

Petra and Shane Sumasgutner have been participating in the "African Birds of Prey - Warriors of the Sky" online seminar series, organised by Share Screen Arica (https://sharescreenafrica.org/) and KaiNav Conservation Foundation (https://www.kainavconservation.org/index.html). The presented an episode on "Hunters all around you - Urban Raptors of Africa".
This 16 weeks series was aimed to bring raptors to the fore of many people's attention, and can be re-watched on the youtube channel:The ShareScreen YouTube Channel: All your talks are here
Each talk had at least 60 people following live, some topped at 120! Each talk was also accopanied by  total of 50 copyright free posters for classrooms and birding clubs. They can be downloaded from the webpage.

 New paper: A mother’s lullaby lays the foundations for learning in songbird embryos

This study puts mothers center stage in the story of when vocal learning begins. Across eight songbird species in the Maluridae group, an ancient lineage from Australasia where vocal learning first evolved some 60 mya, female vocal tutoring starts early. The calls of fairywren mothers, produced while incubating their eggs, contain a signature element. Embryos learn this signature element inside the egg and, after hatching, produce it as their begging call. Furthermore, females that called more slowly to their embryos produced offspring whose begging calls sounded more like their mum—they had a better learning outcome.
 Humans are also a vocal learning species. Could our favorite lullaby be laying the foundations for more learning than we think? 

Publication in The American Naturalist:
Kleindorfer S, Brouwer L, Hauber ME, Evans CE, Teunissen N, Peters A, Louter M, Webster M, Katsis AC, Sulloway FJ, Common LK, Austin VA, Colombelli-Négrel D (in press). Nestling begging calls resemble maternal vocal signatures when mothers call slowly to embryos. American Naturalist. https://doi.org/10.1086/728105

 Faculty Event: Honor for Dr. Josef Hemetsberger

On the occassion of his upcoming retirement, Dr. Josef Hemetsberger, Vice Head of the KLF, was honored for his many years of service to the  Faculty of Life Sciences at the Faculty party on October 12 at UBB. We would like to express our appreciation and congratulations.

 Film about animals breeding in and on buildings in Vienna

The focus of the film is on species that breed in and on buildings, such as the kestrel, their habitat and their fascinating way of life. Petra Sumasgutner, speaking as head of the Vienna Kestrel Project, talks about the ability of kestrels to use urban habitat and the benefit to society of being able to observe a top predator right outside our window.

Download film:
https://youtu.be/7XaxIgvIvzs

 Welcome Mariia

We welcome our new master's student Mariia Klymenko who is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For her Master's thesis Mariia is observing components of relationship quality in greylag geese monogamous pair bonds. At the KLF she is working as a student assistant.

 Welcome Alina

We welcome our new master's student Alina Döhring who is studying Zoology at the University of Vienna. For her Master's thesis Alina will focus on the individual responses of greylag geese to their mirror image, with an emphasis on personality and object permanence.

 New paper on Citizen Scientist engagement for conservation

Social and affective empathy may generate future conservation benefits as the consequence of transformed personal attitudes. In this study, we investigated changes in attitudes and intended behaviours about the plight of woodland songbirds before and after participation in science activities and direct interaction with scientists monitoring avian biodiversity in the Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR) in South Australia. A total of 55 anonymous adult participants were invited to join a survey before and after participating in two three-hour workshops on avian science plus acoustic data collection. Comparing survey results before and after the experience, there were significant shifts in self-reported ‘good’ knowledge about woodland songbirds; increased concern about the conservation status of woodland birds; increased concern about cessation of songbird research; and an increased interest to play a role in songbird conservation. Further investigations could aim to elucidate the mechanisms for shifts in attitudes that occur together with experiencing nature. In general, this small-scale study provides evidence that nature-based science activities can represent valuable hands-on experience of science and may contribute to conservation outcomes by fostering environmental awareness and self-reported aims for involvement.

Publication in Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia:
Didone Frigerio, Alena G. Hohl, Verena Puehringer-Sturmayr, Diane Colombelli-Négrel & Sonia Kleindorfer (2023) A direct personal experience of science and nature changes intended behaviours for conservation, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, DOI: 10.1080/03721426.2023.2264366

 New paper on facial recognition in Greylag geese

Greylag Goose faces are individually distinct -- says AI and new research! Using 2D photos in meadows, greylag geese spent more time feeding next to a photo of their partner and, if anything, showed a threatening posture towards a photo of themselves. Konrad Lorenz could famously name each Greylag Goose in ‘his’ flock from a photograph. Confirming this anecdotal observation, we developed facial recognition software that can reliably (~ 97% accuracy) assign a goose face to a goose ID within a database, using bill morphology normalized during photo preparation. To explore conspecific detection of individuality cues, we erected life-size photos of geese and measured subjects’ responses to photos of themselves (unfamiliar goose), their partner, and another flock mate. Geese displayed significantly greater affiliative response to photos of their partners, providing evidence that geese can use two-dimensional images as cues to determine social category (partner/non-partner) and/or individual-level recognition. Our methods provide novel approaches to automatically detect and monitor geese and to test avian cognition. Our approach may also create new opportunities for species monitoring approaches more generally using photographic images and citizen-science engagement.

Publication in Journal of Ornithology:
Kleindorfer S, Heger B, Tohl D, Frigerio D, Hemetsberger J, Fusani L, Fitch WT, Colombelli-Négrel D (2023). Cues to individuality in greylag goose faces: algorithmic discrimination and behavioral field tests. Journal of Ornithology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-023-02113-4

 New paper on urban kestrels

New paper by MSc alumni Tom Nilles, Lukas Hochleitner and colleagues on urban kestrels showing that nestlings which were being raised in more urbanised areas displayed, unrelated to the burden of ectoparasites, a more bluish face colouration and an overall less intense colouration which was furthermore associated with a lower concentration of circulating carotenoids absorbed through the diet. Our results support the hypothesis that the entire urban food chain is carotenoid deprived and only prey of low quality with low carotenoid content is available (e.g., fewer carotenoids in urban trees -> insects -> small birds -> kestrels).

Publication in The Science of Nature:
Sumasgutner, P., Nilles, T., Hykollari, A., de Chapa, M.M., Isaksson, C., Hochleitner, L., Renner, S. & Fusani, L. (2023) Integument colouration and circulating carotenoids in relation to urbanisation in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus). The Science of Nature, 110. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-023-01874-5

 New paper: Absence of Referential Alarm Calls in Long‑term Allopatry from the Referent

Communication signals that denote specific objects in the environment, known as referential signals, are shaped by several ecologically important drivers, such as the extent of geographic overlap between signalers and referents, social learning, and direct experience with the referent. In this study, we measure vocal and physical response to familiar and unfamiliar sound stimuli in yellow warblers on the Galapagos Islands. The yellow warbler is a useful focal species to explore questions about the contexts in which referential alarm calls occur because of the specificity for production of its anti-parasitic “seet” calls and because multiple populations of yellow warblers exist with varying exposure to obligate brood parasites. Our study explores referential alarm calling in a context without personal or social experience/learning (due to ~ 300,000 year insular separation from mainland brood parasites), and the findings are starkly different, as no anti-parasitic calls were produced at all on the Galapagos Islands, compared to mainland warblers allopatric from brood parasites for only ~ 6000 years, which are still able to produce referential anti-parasitic calls.

Publication in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology:
Lawson S L, Fernandez-Duque F, Enos JK, Kleindorfer S, Ward MP, Gill SA, Hauber ME (2023).  Absence of referential alarm calls in long-term allopatry from the referent: A casy study with Galapagos Yellow Warblers. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 77:99 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-023-03372-0

 New Alumna: Sophie Horlebein

Congratulations to Sophie Horlebein on her graduation! Sophie has worked on "Egg turning behavior and hatching success in Greylag geese (Anser anser)", and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by PD Dr. Didone Frigerio (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Varalika

We welcome our new PhD student Varalika Jain! Varalika is specializing in the analysis of movement and accelerometer data from GPS-tagged eagles, with a focus on understanding their responses to spatial and temporal patterns in human activity. She holds an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, where she worked on common ravens and their exploitation of anthropogenic food sources. Varalika is passionate about developing open-source, accessible methods and code to analyse both animal and human movement data, and is particularly interested in applying bio-logging as a tool to tackle various conservation challenges.

 Welcome Avila

Avila is studying Ecology in the Master's program at the RPTU - University of Kaiserslautern-Landau and completed a semester abroad at the University of Vienna in the field of behavioral, neurological and cognitive biology. For her master's thesis at the KLF, she is investigating the predatory behavior of ravens in captivity at different developmental stages and in different contexts.

 New paper: Age effects in Darwin's finch males

Older age can be beneficial and in animals, more experienced individuals may select different nesting areas that increase survival. This study on Darwin's finches tests if older males build safer nests in areas with greater vegetation cover and -- because vegetation cover is associated with biodiversity richness -- if these nest sites also have greater avian species diversity assessed using song. We compared patterns in Darwin’s Small Tree Finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) and Darwin’s Small Ground Finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) as males build the nest in both systems. We measured vegetation cover, nesting height, and con- vs. heterospecific songs per minute at 55 nests (22 C. parvulus, 33 G. fuliginosa). As expected, in both species, older males built nests in areas with more vegetation cover and these nests had less predation. A novel finding is that nests of older males also had more heterospecific singing neighbors. Future research could test whether older males outcompete younger males for access to preferred nest sites that are more concealed and sustain a greater local biodiversity. The findings also raise questions about the ontogenetic and fitness consequences of different acoustical experiences for developing nestlings inside the nest.

Publication in Journal of Ornithology:
Huge AC, Adreani NM, Colombelli-Négrel D, Akçay C, Common LK, Kleindorfer S (2023). Age effects in Darwin’s finches: older males build more concealed nests in areas with more heterospecific singing neighbours. Journal of Ornithology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-023-02093-5

 New Alumna: Gabriela Bernatovic

Congratulations to Gabriela on her graduation! Gabriela has worked on “How does family size affect foraging success and agonistic behavior within a non-breeding group of free-flying ravens”, and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar and Ass.-Prof. Dr. Petra Sumasgutner (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumnus: Alexander Ruf

Congratulations to Alexander Ruf on his graduation! Alex has worked on "Effects of early social experiences on exploration and foraging in juvenile ravens (Corvus corax)", and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Bugnyar (University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New paper: personality traits are consistent within but not across life stages in a wild songbird

When does personality become a consistent trait across different life stages? To answer this, we measured personality in nestling, fledgling, and adult birds in the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus). We assessed (1) boldness (response to human handling, at all three stages), (2) exploration (response to a novel environment, in fledglings and adults) and (3) aggressiveness (response to mirror-image stimulation, in fledglings and adults). Personality differences were often consistent within life stages but never across them. By adulthood, all three personality traits were repeatable. Our results suggest that long-term personality traits may not become entrenched until adulthood in this species.

Publication in Behaviour:
Katsis, A., Common, L., Hauber, M., Colombelli-Négrel, D., & Kleindorfer, S. (2023). From nestling to adult: personality traits are consistent within but not across life stages in a wild songbird, Behaviour (published online ahead of print 2023). doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10224

 We would like to introduce our new PostDoc: Dr. Lauren Common

We warmly welcome Lauren and look forward to working with her!

Dr. Lauren Common is a parasitologist and ornithologist fascinated by invasive species, reproductive behaviour and personality in birds and insects. Lauren recently completed her PhD at Flinders University supervised by Prof. Sonia Kleindorfer and colleagues. Her thesis explored the changing host-parasite dynamics between Darwin's finches and the invasive blood-sucking Avian Vampire Fly (Philornis downsi). As a part of her postdoc, Lauren will continue her research into the genetics of the Avian Vampire Fly across the archipelago, and its consequences for the conservation of the avifauna of the Galapagos.

 Visit Dean's office and Dean Team

We were very pleased about the visit of the Dean's team and the team of the Dean's office of the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna!

 New paper: Impact of drones on fitness and energy demand in koalas

Koala are suffering population crashes after the devastating bushfires in Australia in recent years, and urgent conservation monitoring is needed. Drones can be useful to monitor species across large landscapes and difficult-to-access areas. But what impact do drones have on animals? We developed a non-invasive methodology to measure heart rate in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) using a Fitbit and investigated the behavioural (vigilance behaviour) and physiological (heart rate and breathing rate) responses of captive koalas to drones. We showed for the first time that heart rate values in koalas can be accurately obtained with a Fitbit. Koalas responded to a drone flight conducted 15 m above their heads with a short-term increase in vigilance, but no change in heart rate or breathing rate. Our results suggest that drones may not have long-term detrimental effects on koalas’ fitness or energy demands and adds to the growing literature investigating animals’ responses to drones to help develop best practices for drone monitoring.

Publication in Applied Animal Behaviour Science:
Colombelli-Négrel, D., Sach, I.Z., Hough, I., Hodgson, J.C., Daniels, C.B. and Kleindorfer, S., 2023. Koalas showed limited behavioural response and no physiological response to drones. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, p.105963. doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105963

 New paper: Quality of contributions to bird monitoring by Citizen Scientists

Long-term monitoring of  data on animal behavior is an important source for science to develop new, testable hypotheses. For the collection of such long-term data, the involvement and participation of citizen scientists is an asset for science and society. Verena Pühringer-Sturmayr, Didone Frigerio and colleagues have evaluated the reliability of the data collected in this way in a study. Together with citizen scientists, they investigated the spatial distribution of three model bird species (gray geese, wood bustards and common ravens) and evaluated the accuracy of the data collected by the volunteers.

Publication in Environmental Research Letters:
Pühringer-Sturmayr V, Rittenschober J, Gegendorfer G, Kleindorfer S, Frigerio D (2023). Assessing quality of contributions to avian monitoring by non-scientists: a case study on individually banded wild birds. Environ. Res. Lett. 18. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acd073

 Welcome Jakob

We welcome our new master's student Jakob Schorn who is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For his Master's thesis Jakob will investigate Species -diversity and -dominance among secondary hole nesting birds with varying degrees of human presence at three different nesting sites near the Konrad Lorenz Research Center.

 Welcome Iraí

We welcome our new master's student Iraí Paetow de Jesus who is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For his Master's thesis Iraí will investigate whether greylag geese are able to distinguish life-size images of themselves, mates and other conspecifics. He also wants to find out if the agonistic behaviour of males is more common during the mating season.

 Happy Easter!

Happy Easter and wonderful holidays!

 Welcome Johanna

We welcome our new master's student Johanna Weber, who is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For her Master's thesis Johanna is investigating "Occupancy preference and breeding success in secondary hole-nesting birds depending on nest box material and familiarity".

 Welcome Alper

We welcome our new PhD student Alper Yelimlieş! For his PhD Alper will be focussing on linking song and personality in Darwin's tree finches.

 Welcome Arnout

 Welcome Marina

We welcome our new master's student Marina Gehbauer, who is studying Biology and Environmental Education (Master) at the University of Vienna. For her Master's thesis Marina is analysing whether the informal contact with Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) triggers positive emotions and might increase awareness for conservation issues and willingness to engage in conservation activities.

 New paper: Prenatal sound experience affects song preferences in male zebra finches

Australian zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) produce a high-pitched ‘heat call’ when ambient temperatures are high. Previous research suggests that hearing these heat calls inside the egg can alter an offspring’s development and behaviour after hatching, including from which adults they learn to sing. In this study, Andrew Katsis and colleagues artificially incubated male zebra finch embryos while exposing them to recordings of either heat calls (treatment) or contact calls (control). After hatching, offspring were raised to adulthood in a colony environment, then their song preferences were tested using a choice apparatus. Adult males had different song preferences depending on the sounds they heard before hatching: treatment birds preferred nonpaternal song over their social father's song, while control birds showed no preference.

Publication in Animal Behaviour:
A.C. Katsis, A.T.D. Bennett, K.L. Buchanan, S. Kleindorfer & M.M. Mariette (2023) Prenatal sound experience affects song preferences in male zebra finches. Animal Behaviour, 199, 1-9. doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.02.008

 Congratulations to Anna Fabbri: Gwinner-Award for best poster

Big congratulations to Anna Fabbri for receiving the Eberhard-Gwinner-Award for the best poster. The Gwinner Award for outstanding scientific presentations is awarded annually to young scientists during the annual meeting of the Ethological Society.

 New publication on effects of rising temperatures and urbanisation on birds

In this article, we synthesise our current understanding of the potential mechanisms that could affect how species respond to combined effects of urbanisation and rising temperatures, with a focus on avian taxa. Resource availability/reliability (blue) and quality (purple) differ between urban and non-urban areas and will interact with rising temperatures to influence the magnitude of biological impacts of climate change. Specifically, the urban environment could both buffer and exacerbate biological impacts of rising temperatures. Greater water availability/reliability in cities buffers thermoregulatory costs, while poorer urban water quality exacerbates warming-related increase in disease risk and pollutants reduce thermoregulatory capacity. Greater food availability and artificial light at night buffers foraging-thermoregulation trade-offs in cities, while warming-related declines in food quality (e.g., carotenoids) are exacerbated in cities. Urban nest- and roost sites are poorly thermally-buffered, hence of lower quality, than non-urban sites, while more shade is available in cities, especially in arid regions. Finally, effects of rising temperatures are likely exacerbated by air pollution and vice versa, with impacts on the redox system and immune system. The urban heat island effect (UHI) under climate change will likely continue to lead to relaxed thermoregulatory costs in temperate, continental and polar cities during winter, while exacerbating thermoregulatory costs in summer and in tropical cities compared to non-urban environments, while cities in arid zones often have a reversed heat island effect, buffering thermal costs. We discuss potential interactive effects to motivate future in-depth research on this critically important, yet overlooked, aspect of global change biology.

Publication in Global Change Biology:
Sumasgutner, P., Cunningham, S. J., Hegemann, A., Amar, A., Watson, H., Nilsson, J. F., Andersson, M. N., & Isaksson, C. (2023). Interactive effects of rising temperatures and urbanisation on birds across different climate zones: A mechanistic perspective. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16645

Thomas Bugnyar wins "Science Book of the Year" Award 2023

Congratulations to Prof. Thomas Bugnyar. His book "Raben. Das Geheimnis ihrer erstaunlichen Intelligenz und sozialen Fähigkeiten" was awarded "Science book of the year" 2023.

 New Alumna: Tatjana Vogel

Congratulations to Tatjana Vogel on her graduation! Tatjana has worked on the topic "Occupancy preferences and breeding ecology of secondary hole-nesting birds depending on the material of the nest boxes and on human presence", and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by PD Dr. Didone Frigerio (KLF, University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Merry Christmas

The team of the KLF wishes Merry Christmas, relaxing holidays and all the best for the New Year!

 Congratulations to Verena Pühringer-Sturmayr on her dissertation!

 KLF practicum student Katharina Tillmann published her study! Congratulations!

Maintaining the highest standards of animal care is essential to satisfy animal welfare best practice. In this study, we measure behavioural profiles in caged mice in relation to their bedding material. Mice provisioned with soiled bedding that contained scent cues from other mice rested more and displayed less abnormal behaviour compared to mice provisioned with sterile clean bedding. More generally, these findings can be used to enhance the welfare of laboratory mice.

Publication in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience:
Müller K, Lengheimer T, Kral-Pointner JB, Wojta J, Yeghiazaryan L, Krall C, Palme R, Kleindorfer S, Plasenzotti R, Pollak DD and Tillmann KE (2022) Exposure to soiled bedding reduces abnormal repetitive behaviors in mice. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 16:1062864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1062864

 Welcome Alexander

We welcome our new master's student Alexander Ruf, who is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For his Master's thesis Alex is investigating "the effects of early social experiences on exploration in juvenile ravens (Corvus corax)."

 Welcome Nils

Nils is studying Conservation and Landscape Planning at the Technical University of Munich and is currently doing an internship at the KLF. Thereby he gains practical experience in catching and tagging ravens and supports the researchers in different projects.

 New Alumna: Anna Fabbri

Congratulations to Anna Fabbri on her graduation! Anna has worked on the topic "Ontogeny of individual variation in food calling in the common raven", and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Sonia Kleindorfer (KLF, University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Johanna!

Johanna studies "Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation" at the University of Greifswald in Germany and is currently at the KLF to collect data for her master thesis on affiliative interactions in common ravens.

 Welcome Anja!

Anja is doing a Voluntary Environmental Year at the KLF (Youth Environmental Platform JUMP). The activities include assistance in knowledge transfer and public relations as well as support in animal care. Parallel to the volunteer work, Anja completes the accompanying "FUJ training course".

 Welcome Sophie!

Sophie is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. For her Master´s thesis she is working with the greylag geese.

 Congratulations to Mario Gallego-Abenza on his dissertation!

Mario has worked on the topic: "Social cognition and fission-fusion dynamics in non-breeder Common ravens, Corvus corax", and thus completed the PhD at the University of Vienna. The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Thomas Bugnyar.

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New publication out: In the Australian superb fairywren exploratory individuals defend their territory more strongly against intruders

In the Australian superb fairywren, the male and female defend a territory across many years. In this study we show that birds with extreme exploration phenotypes defended their territory more strongly against conspecific intruders.  Especially pairs with mismatching exploration phenotypes -- that is, where the male was either more or less exploratory and the female was either less or more exploratory respectively - responded strongest to intruders. Our results shed light on the role of personality in wild contexts, and how combinations of personality types may confer a fitness benefit.

Publication in Animal Behaviour:
Colombelli-Négrel D, Katsis AC, Kleindorfer S (2022).  Superb fairy-wrens with extreme exploration phenotypes respond more strongly to simulated territory intrusions. Animal Behaviour 193, 101-111. doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.015

 New publication on personality in animals

Animals have personality - some are shy and some are bold, some are more and others less aggressive, for example. In this study in the Australian Superb Fairywren, we carried out an experiment and measured the effect of personality on responses to playback of a predator. More aggressive birds had a stronger response and approached the predator sound more closely. This study supports the view that personality in animals can predict their behaviour during threatening situations in the wild, and therefore can be a target of selection.

Publication in PeerJ:
Bilby, J., Colombelli-Négrel, D., Katsis, A.C. and Kleindorfer, S., 2022. When aggressiveness could be too risky: linking personality traits and predator response in superb fairy-wrens. PeerJ, 10, p.e14011. doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14011

 Book chapter published on the impact of citizen science on conceptual learning and socio-emotional development

Together with the colleagues Katharina Hirschenhauser and Brigitte Neuböck-Hubinger from the Pädagogische Hochschule Oberösterreich Didone Frigerio wrote the book chapter "Science Education and Beyond: Citizen Science in Primary School Potentially Affects Conceptual Learning and Socio-emotional Development". It was shown, among other results, that the participation of primary school children in a Citizen Science project about greylag geese not only has an impact on factual learning but also on impulsive behaviour control.

Publication in Citizen Science - Methods, Approaches and New Perspectives:
Hirschenhauser, K., Frigerio, D., Neuböck-Hubinger, B. (2022). Science Education and Beyond: Citizen Science in Primary School Potentially Affects Conceptual Learning and Socio-emotional Development. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.107532

 New Alumnus: Tanguy Menthonnex

Congratulations to Tanguy Menthonnex on his graduation! Tanguy has worked on the topic: "From individual to population: Considerations on the long-term development of a managed, free-flying colony of endangered Northern Bald Ibis", and thus completed the MSc program Behavioural Ecology and Wildlife Management at the Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté. The thesis was supervised by Dr. Didone Frigerio (KLF, University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumna: Antonia Charlotte Huge

Congratulations to Antonia Huge on her graduation! Antonia has worked on the topic: "Male age is related to the heterospecific soundscape of the breeding territory in two Darwin’s finch species", and thus completed the MSc program Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition at the University of Vienna. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Sonia Kleindorfer (KLF, University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum

Biologicum Almtal (September 29 - October 1)

As a scientific symposium, the Biologicum Almtal deals with the central topics of modern biology, with a view to the human being. In addition to biology, the lecturers come from different disciplines, such as medicine, veterinary medicine and economics. This is to ensure that the respective annual topic can be viewed from different angles. The aim of the event is to communicate scientific topics in an understandable way. Participation in the Biologicum requires curiosity and the willingness to learn something new.

This year we are dealing with one of the key questions of our time, which has to do with human ambivalence: How can people sometimes be so smart and yet often make such bad decisions? Research has documented countless examples of impressively flexible, near-optimal intelligence in humans and animals, while also uncovering numerous areas of irrational, suboptimal, and inflexible decision making.

During Biologicum 2022, we will discuss and reflect on the limits and potential of sustainable thinking and action. The topic will be looked at from several angles, both from the biological or natural science side, as well as from the economic side, we look at the processes in the brain as well as large data sets from worldwide observations.

Junior Biologicum (Sept. 29)

The Junior Biologicum is designed for interested high school students and their teachers. This year's event will take place on Thursday, September 29, on the topic of "Sustainable thinking and acting - a collective endeavor" at the Pfarrhof in Grünau. The topic will be examined from different perspectives in short keynote speeches. In the subsequent Science Café, discussions can be held with the speakers in an informal atmosphere.Participation is free of charge. Registration required.

Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum will take place under the scientific direction of Sonia Kleindorfer and Didone Frigerio, the general organization will be done by staff members of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center in cooperation with the International Academy Traunkirchen.

We look forward to a lively exchange in the beautiful, early autumn Almtal in presence, with exciting lectures and discussions, eventful excursions, a pub quiz as an entertaining evening program and the usual delicious culinary accompaniment.

Further information and registration:

biologicum-almtal.univie.ac.at/biologicum-almtal/

Symposium language:

German

 We would like to introduce our new PostDoc: Dr. Andrew Katsis!

We warmly welcome Andrew and look forward to working with him!

Dr. Andrew Katsis is a behavioural ecologist with an interest in avian personality, vocal learning, and prenatal communication. Spending his childhood on an emu farm in Australia, he quickly developed a passion for birds and their behavioural eccentricities. For his PhD research at Deakin University, Andrew studied how the prenatal sound environment can influence behaviour in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis), a small Australian songbird. He recently completed his first postdoc at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, during which he explored the ontogeny and fitness consequences of personality differences in superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) and Darwin’s finches (subfamily Geospizinae). In addition to his research, Andrew is also a keen science communicator and has contributed to magazines, online news, radio, and television: in 2018, he shared his research on the Netflix popular science series Bill Nye Saves the World.

At the Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Andrew will continue his research on avian personality traits in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Sonia Kleindorfer. For this work, he will draw on the center’s established population of greylag geese and a long-running research project in the Galápagos Islands.

 New Alumnus: Tom Nilles

Congratulations to Tom Nilles on his graduation! Tom has worked on the topic: "Carotenoid levels in nestlings of urban Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus)", and thus completed the MSc program Wildlife Ecology and Wildlife Management at the BOKU. The thesis was supervised by Swen Renner (NHM) and Petra Sumasgutner (KLF, University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New paper published on space use and site fidelity in the endangered Northern Bald Ibis

Verena Pühringer-Sturmayr and colleagues investigated space use and site fidelity in the endangered Northern Bald Ibis. Northern Bald Ibis consistently showed high site fidelity, with adults using a larger area during the breeding season than outside the breeding season. Furthermore, direct routes over mountainous areas were avoided when moving between different areas.

Publication in Bird Conservation International:
Puehringer-Sturmayr, V., Krejci, J., Schuster, R., Kleindorfer, S., Kotrschal, K., Frigerio, D., & Loretto, M. (2022). Space use and site fidelity in the endangered Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita: Effects of age, season, and sex. Bird Conservation International, 1-13.  https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0959270922000053

 One-year anniversary of the new KLF building

In June 2022, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the new KLF building. We share the commemorative publication Festschrift that marked the event. Thank you to all supporters, funding agencies, and many partners who turned the idea of a new building into a reality. Now, our research into the wild behaviour and cognitive capacity of animals continues in a modern facility. We are grateful!

Download Festschrift

 New Alumna: Eva-Maria Körmer

Congratulations to Eva-Maria Körmer on her graduation! Eva-Maria has worked on "Call structure of contact calls in Greylag geese", supervised by Sonia Kleindorfer (KLF, University of Vienna) and Mauricio Nicolas Adreani.

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Farewell, Steffi!

Stefanie has been doing a voluntary environmental year at the KLF since October 2021. She has assisted with knowledge transfer and supported us with public relations as well as the care of the animals. Dear Steffi, we wish you all the best for the future!

 New Alumna: Veronika Weinhäupl

Congratulations to Veronika Weinhäupl on her graduation! Veronika has worked on "Departure call structure in Greylag geese", supervised by Sonia Kleindorfer (KLF, University of Vienna) and Nico Adreani.

We wish you all the best for the future!

 The Young Investigator Award goes to Petra Sumasgutner

Congratulations to Petra Sumasgutner - Faculty Award Winner of the Faculty of Life Sciences. The Young Investigator Award is an initiative of the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Vienna designed to honour young postdoctoral scientists publishing in the top journals of their field.
Petra: "I am planning to use the award to fund my research on urban raptors (Turmfalkenprojekt Wien) and to attend the PAOC (https://www.paoc15.org/) where I will deliver my very first invited plenary talk on "Raptors in a changing world: Understanding the response of predators to increasing urbanization" at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe."

 New publication on the occurrence of asymmetry in the complex nest of Rufous hornero

Nico Adreani and colleagues used a citizen-science approach to quantify the occurrence of asymmetry in the complex nest of a bird, the rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus). Nest asymmetry was individually repeatable and was not explained by environmental factors, raising many questions about the causes and consequences of nest asymmetry in animal behaviour.

Publication in Current Biology:
Adreani, N.M., Valcu, M., Citizen Scientists, Mentesana, L. (2022). Asymmetric architecture is non-random and repeatable in a bird's nest. Current Biology 32(9): 412-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.075

 New Alumnus: Benedikt Heger

Congratulations to Benedikt Heger on his graduation! Benedikt has worked on "Different reactions of greylag geese to their own mirror images, as well as to life-size photographs of their conspecifics", and thus completed the MSc program Wildlife Ecology and Wildlife Management at the BOKU. The thesis was supervised by Sonia Kleindorfer (KLF, University of Vienna).

We wish you all the best for the future!

 New Publication on the elevational range expansion of the Drab Water Tyrant

New study by PhD student Jefferson Garcia Loor shows range expansion in the Drab Water Tyrant (Ochthornis littoralis) from lower Amazonia to the Andean foothills. The new record is also from a previously unknown habitat for the species.

Publication in Check List - the journal of biodiversity data:
García-Loor J (2022) Elevational range extension of Drab Water Tyrant, Ochthornis littoralis (Pelzeln, 1868) (Passeriformes, Tyrannidae). Check List 18(3): 451-453. https://doi.org/10.15560/18.3.451

 Welcome Viktoria

Viktoria studies Human-Animal Interactions at the Vetmeduni in Vienna. For her master thesis she investigates the prosociality in goats in the Cumberland Wildpark Grünau.

 Welcome Alena, Caelan, Leon and Matt

The four Australians are supporting the research on greylag geese at the KLF as volunteers during the next months. One of their tasks is to record the calls of the hand-raised goslings.

 Happy Easter!

Happy Easter and happy holidays!

 New paper on Avian diversity and abundance across years on Viti Levu

PhD student Alivereti Naikatini and colleagues made the important observation that the stability and diversity of woodland forest birds is comparable across forest types on Fiji, including primary, secondary and plantations. There is conservation benefit to maintaining forests including regrowth and managed forests to sustain woodland birds.

Publication in "Pacific Conservation Biology":
Naikatini AN, Keppel G, Brodie G, Kleindorfer S (2022). Avian diversity and abundance across years: consistent patterns in forests but not grasslands on Viti Levu, Fiji. Pacific Conservation Biology, https://doi.org/10.1071/PC21039https://doi.org/10.1071/PC21039

 Welcome Lennart

Lennart is a student at the Hochschule Bremen and recently studied abroad at the University of South Bohemia in Czech Republic. For his bachelor thesis Lennart will test the degree of interspecific comprehension of free-flying common ravens at the Cumberland Wildpark Grünau by analysing their response to alarm calls of different corvid species. This will take place during the next three months in form of playbacks during the boar feeding, when ravens are present.

 New paper published about the birds of Fiji

Fiji endemic bird behaviour comes under study for almost the first time in ~100 years since the Whitney South Sea Expedition with Ernst Mayr in 1929! Together with Naikatini and colleagues, Kleindorfer documented vertical niche stratification in Fiji’s woodland birds. The study adds valuable information on the role of animal behaviour such as foraging behaviour for forest community structure. Understanding drivers of biodiversity is essential information to conserve woodland birds.

Publication in "Diversity":
Naikatini, A.N., Keppel, G., Brodie, G., Kleindorfer, S., 2022. Interspecific Competition and Vertical Niche Partitioning in Fiji’s Forest Birds. Diversity. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14030223

 Welcome Tatjana

For her master's thesis Tatjana will investigate occupancy preferences and breeding success of hole-nesting small birds depending on the material of the nest boxes and depending on different forest types (with/without the presence of humans) in the area in and around the Cumberland Wildpark.

 Congratulations for winning the 2021 Purcell Memorial Prize of Science

Carina Nebel, PhD student of Petra Sumasgutner and Arjun Amar, has won the Purcell Memorial Prize of Science for her PhD on the Colour polymorphism of Black Sparrowhawks - this is an award of the Faculty of Science in South Africa, and is given once a year for the best PhD thesis in the field of Biological Sciences. Congratulations!

 Welcome Sophie

Sophie is studying Behaviour, Neurobiology and Cognition (Master) at the University of Vienna. As part of an internship at the KLF, she is investigating social structure as well as dominance behavior in greylag geese.

 Welcome Salomé

Salomé is a student of Evolutionary Biology at the Faculté des sciences et technologies - Université de Lille. Over the next six months, she will investigate the factors that affect the feeding strategies of free-flying ravens, primarily by observing how they behave when they are fed each morning along with wild boars in the Cumberland Wildpark Grünau.

 New Poster: Individual variation of food associated calls in the raven

For the VDS CoBeNe PhD Academy, held February 2-4, master's student Anna Fabbri contributed a poster  on "Ontogeny of individual variation in food calling in the common raven".

Fabbri, A.L., Bernatovic, G., Bugnyar, T., Kleindorfer, S. (2022): Ontogeny of individual variation in food calling in the common raven. Poster Contribution.

 Welcome Tom

Tom studies wildlife ecology and wildlife management at the BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna. As part of his internship at the KLF, he is investigating the "riding" of ravens on wild boars at the Cumberland Wildpark Grünau.

 Merry Christmas!

We wish you all Merry Christmas, wonderful holidays and all the best for 2022!

 Welcome Gabriela

We welcome our new master student Gabriela. Gabriela is investigating how parental care in ravens is associated with feeding strategies and feeding success at a common feeding place outside of the family.

 New Publication on the influence of the female in-nest attendance on the number of ectoparasites in Darwin's finch species

Offspring of the 17 Darwin’s finch species are being eaten alive by larvae of an accidentally introduced parasitic fly. First observed in Darwin’s finch nests in 1997, the avian vampire fly feeds on the blood and tissue of developing birds, killing most and causing deformation in survivors. In this study, we focus on parental care and show that adult female finches can reduce chances that avian vampire flies can enter the nest. High quality females that can sustain longer in-nest parental care with less feeding opportunity for themselves, paired with males that increase feeding to the offspring, have better chances to produce offspring in a vampire-fly dominated environment.

Publication in "Proceedings of the Royal Society B":
Kleindorfer S, Common LK, O’Connor JA, Garcia-Loor J, Katsis AC, Dudaniec RY, Colombelli-Négrel D, Adreani NM (2021). Female in-nest attendance predicts the number of ectoparasites in Darwin’s finch species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

 New Publication on sex role similarity in male and female song

A new publication by Karan Odom with Sonia Kleindorfer and colleagues explores sex role similarity in male and female song. Historically, bird song complexity was thought to evolve primarily through sexual selection on males; yet, in many species, both sexes sing and selection pressure on both sexes may be broader. This study across 15 populations of nine fairy-wren species reveals that male and female songs were more similar when parental care was more similar. Our understanding of how and why female birds sing is a neglected area of animal behaviour research, and this study is helping to fill this gap in knowledge.

Publication in Ecology and Evolution:
Odom, K.J., Cain, K.E., Hall, M.L., Langmore, N.E., Mulder, R.A., Kleindorfer, S., Karubian, J., Brouwer, L., Enbody, E.D., Jones, J.A. and Dowling, J.L. (2021). Sex role similarity and sexual selection predict male and female song elaboration and dimorphism in fairy‐wrens. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8378

 Congratulations on the PeerJ-Award

Congratulations to Varalika Jain for winning the best student transmission at the 7th Bio-Logging Symposium held online in October 2021.

In this blog post, she writes about her research and academic career so far: https://peerj.com/blog/post/115284885148/peerj-award-winners-7th-bio-logging-symposium/

 New publication on on causes of nest mortality in the critically endangered Medium Tree Finch

KLF researchers Sonia Kleindorfer and Petra Sumasgutner, with PhD student Lauren Common, published their findings on causes of nest mortality in the critically endangered Medium Tree Finch. As shown in this study, ~90% of chick mortality is caused by introduced parasites and predators. The new publication analyses long-term data and proves baseline data against which to compare impacts of the planned eradication of introduced species and rewilding of locally extinct species on Floreana Island. Watch this space over the next years!

Publication in Birds MDPI:
Kleindorfer, S., Common, L.K., Sumasgutner, P. (2021). Nesting Success and Nesting Height in the Critically Endangered Medium Tree Finch (Camarhynchus pauper). Birds MDPI.

 Welcome Toni

For her master's thesis, Toni is studying Darwin's finches in Galapagos. She is investigating whether male age in Galapagos finches is related to the soundscape composition at the nesting territory. For this purpose, she analyzes videos of nests recorded in Galapagos in 2020. Starting in January, she will collect more data in the field. We wish all the best for the upcoming field season.

 New publication on the the avian vampire fly

In the publication “Temporal and spatial variation in sex‑specific abundance of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi)” published in Parasitology Research, Lauren Common and colleagues report on differences in male and female avian vampire fly occurrence on Floreana Island, Galapagos. The new information will be used to develop control measures for this deadly invasive parasite that is the biggest threat to the survival of all Galapagos land birds. Kleindorfer and team have been studying the avian vampire fly on the Galapagos since 2000 and PhD student Lauren Common expanded key knowledge that can be used to control the fly’s spatial distribution.

Publication in Parasitology Research:
Common, L.K., Sumasgutner, P., Sumasgutner, S.C., Colombelli-Negrel, D., Dudaniec, R.Y., Kleindorfer, S. (2021). Temporal and spatial variation in sex‑specific abundance of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi). Parasitology Research.

 New alumna: Kathrin Arbeithuber

Congratulations to our master student, Kathrin Arbeithuber, for passing her master's exam at the University of Vienna.

Topic of her Master thesis: Disentangling the effects of metabolism on activity levels and boldness: A study of between-individual differences in heart rate and behaviour from embryo to nestling in Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)

We wish you all the best for the future!

 Welcome Silvia!

We welcome our new PhD student Silvia Damini! Silvia is broadly interested in animal behaviour and cognition. For her PhD she will be studying ravens´ interspecific interactions with wolves and wild boars in the foraging context.

 Talk by Martin Rössler at the KLF

A talk by ornithologist Martin Rössler will be held on Monday Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. at Konrad Lorenz Research Center in Grünau/Almtal. He will report on his research on the problem of glass surfaces for birds using experimental test tunnels. Martin Rössler studied landscape ecology and landscape design at BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna and founded the Verein Auring: Biological Station Hohenau-Ringelsdorf.

The lecture will be held in German.

We would like to invite interested visitors to attend this talk in presence (2.5-G proof required, FFP2 mask mandatory) or online. Limited number of participants. Registration absolutely necessary under: gudrun.gegendorfer@univie.ac.at

 Welcome Jefferson

Jefferson got his degree in Biology in Ecuador and had been working in different projects mainly in the Amazon region and Galápagos. He is interested in Animal Behavior and Evolution. His PhD Project will be focused on how the behave of finches can change against the absence of the predator. In Grünau, he will also work on projects with greylag geese.

 New publication on mechanisms and impact of urbanisation on wildlife

Globally, more people live in urban areas than in rural ones. This rapid urbanisation poses challenges for sustainable development and public health. But the picture looks even grimmer for animals. Urbanisation is a new selective force that is changing the composition of animal communities tremendously, but there is still a clear research gap in understanding the mechanisms and impact of urbanisation on wildlife. Here we used a biomarker approach - an indirect indicator of vigour or performance, to infer to what we commonly refer to as health - to unravel how urban kestrels respond to the exposure to urban stressors.

Publication in The Science of Nature:
Wemer, L., Hegemann, A., Isaksson, C., Nebel, C., Kleindorfer, S., Gamauf, A., . . . Sumasgutner, P. (2021). Reduced ectoparasite load, body mass and blood haemolysis in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) along an urban–rural gradient. The Science of Nature.

 Welcome Awani!

 New Publication on how songbirds learn vocalizations

New paper published by Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer, Nico Adreani and colleagues on Prenatal auditory learning in avian vocal learners and non-learners.

Publication in "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences":

Colombelli-Négrel, D., Hauber, M.E., Evans, C., Katsis, A.C., Brouwer, L., Adreani, N.M. and Kleindorfer, S. (2021) Prenatal auditory learning in avian vocal learners and non-learner. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

 Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum 2021: Nature and Science through the ages

The Biologicum Almtal is a symposium for interested people. No previous knowledge is necessary. The Junior Biologicum is for high school students. The lectures are in German. In this year's Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum we will focus on "Nature and Science through the ages". Different perspectives will be used to illuminate how changes can be measured, how they have a long-term effect and which collective behavioral changes can lead to a sustainable approach to nature. Ten speakers will look at the changes, the transformation in their own scientific disciplines and will be available for discussion and exchange.

Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum will take place under the scientific direction of Sonia Kleindorfer and Didone Frigerio, the general organization will be done by staff members of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center in cooperation with the International Academy Traunkirchen. We welcome the cooperation with a regional partner institution that encourages people in their enthusiasm and talent for natural sciences and technical development and supports the encounter with science. After an online event last year, this year we are looking forward to a lively exchange in the beautiful Almtal valley in early autumn, with exciting lectures and discussions, interesting excursions, a cabaret as an entertaining evening program and the usual delicious culinary accompaniment.

W https://biologicum-almtal.univie.ac.at/

 New Publication on Greylag Geese

Didone Frigerio, Petra Sumasgutner and colleagues showed associations between climate, breeding phenology, and reproductive output in greylag geese. "With warmer winters, more females were able to breed. Overall, more young fledged," Didone Frigerio said.

Publication in Scientific Reports:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-95011-9

The publication "Citizen Science - Doing Research with Schools. Basics, recommendations & practical tips for joint projects" of the OeAD - Center for Citizen Science has been published. Didone Frigerio contributed as an author to two of the seven chapters.

Download (in German)

 Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on wildlife

Petra Sumasgutner and The Red-winged Starling Team from Cape Town are part of the PAN-Environment Working Group who aim to disentangle positive and negative effects of humans on our wilderness. The research opportunity emerging from the tragic circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that humans are not only a threat but also important custodians of species and ecosystems. Specifically in the starling case study, the researcher found that adult birds had consistently lower body masses during lockdowns than in preceding years. Birds were 4.1 +/- 1 g lighter between precovid and covid, which is approx. 3% of body mass.

Publication in "Biological Conservation":

Bates, A. E., Primack, R. B., PAN-Environment Working Group, Duarte C. M. (2021) Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment. Biological Conservation, 109175

 TV Tipp

"Highly motivated on four paws - dog puppy training in Upper Austria" with the conservation dog in training Nala on Thursday, 13.5. at 17:35 on ORF2.

https://tv.orf.at/program/orf2/20210513/962380001/

 Newly published

"The African urban birds" special issue, guest edited by Petra Sumasgutner is published in "Ostrich - Journal of African Ornithology. Petra and Shane also contributed a review article on Urban Raptors in South Africa.

Open access until End of May!

Cover image: Crowned Eagle

 Urban Ecology in the Global South

Newly published - the book "Urban Ecology in the Global South" with the chapter "Urban Animal Diversity in the Global South" to which Petra Sumasgutner contributed the perspective on urban predators.

Predators in the city are still rarely studied but they add substantially to our understanding of functional diversity. Within the predator guild, raptors are amongst the better studied groups in urban ecology, and many species manage to persist in cities and adapt to anthropogenic influences despite their sensitivity to global change. To date, the majority of urban raptor research occurs in North America and Europe. However, findings in one region may not necessarily be representative of populations of the same species, or functional group, from other regions. In fact, of the 389 studies published between 1990 and 2018 [ISI web of knowledge search 20-05-2018, term 'urban raptor'], 82% were conducted in the Global North (Europe, North America, most part of Asia and Oceania) and only 10% were conducted in South America, 5% in Africa, and 3% in India. This in itself might create a severe bias towards Northern systems, which may lead to quite narrow conclusions regarding urban raptor behaviour, ecology and conservation.

 New publication on Red-winged Starlings

In this project, Petra Sumasgutner and colleagues analysed body mass maintenance in Red-winged Starlings in relation to short-term food fluctuations (following human activity) and the proportion of urban areas within their home range sizes. Anthropogenic food availability was higher on high human presence days (weekdays) when starlings also consumed more anthropogenic food and tended to spend less time foraging compared to low human presence days (weekends and vacation). Furthermore, individual starlings with more built-up home ranges were heavier; they were also heavier and in better body condition on high human presence days.

Publication in "Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology":

Risi, T. C., Sumasgutner, P., Cunningham, S. J. (2021). Anthropogenic food availability and body mass maintenance in urban Red-winged Starlings Onychognathus morio. Ostrich, 1-10. doi:10.2989/00306525.2021.1906345

Happy Easter!

We wish everyone Happy Easter and happy holidays!

 New publication on Darwin finches

In a new paper published today in Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Colombelli-Negrel and Kleindorfer report on the following discovery. Two populations of the same species of Darwin's finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) living on two different Galapagos Islands show different patterns of gene flow and learned song types. Birds on Floreana Island produced six  song types (three shared with Santa Cruz and three unique to Floreana) and birds on Santa Cruz Island produced seven song types (three shared with Floreana and four unique to Santa Cruz). Resident males had a stronger response towards song from a different island. The study reports genetic and cultural divergence between islands with evidence that contemporary behavioural response could maintain divergence upon secondary contact.

Publication in "Journal of Evolutionary Biology":

Colombelli-Négrel, D., Kleindorfer, S. (2021) Behavioural response to songs between genetically diverged allopatric populations of Darwin's small tree finch in the Galápagos. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 00: 1-14

You can download the paper here.

 Welcome Céline!

We welcome our new student Céline Giorgetti from University of Burgundy (Dijon, France). She is doing an internship with us until the end of July, in which she is investigates dominance relationship and kleptoparasitism in free-flying ravens.

Endspurt in the NestCams project

The aim of the Citizen Science project NestCams is to discover how different breeding behaviours affect breeding success. For this purpose, short videos of the birds at the nest can be analysed online. The videos of the 2018 breeding season are finished and new videos from 2019 are available! Can we get 15,000 videos done by the end of April? We will raffle small gifts among all participants. Join us on NestCams and get to know the Greylag Geese Kendo, Dorothea, Lando, Sturmwind, Lukka, Lenka and Luna. Every single classification counts!

 New publication on Rufous horneros made the cover of Hormones and Behavior

A direct link between the oxidative status and aggressive behaviour has been hypothesised in vertebrates. Further, sex hormones like progesterone and testosterone have been suggested as mediators in that process. Until now, no causal relationship had been shown between aggression and oxidative status. In this new study featured in February's cover of Hormones and Behavior, Mentesana & Adreani demonstrate a causal relationship for the first time in a vertebrate. By performing experiments in the wild, they discovered that rufous horneros (Aves: Furnarius rufus) suffer a decrease in antioxidant capacity after engaging in territorial fights with con-specifics. Further, this effect was much stronger in female birds than in males and independent of progesterone or testosterone.

Cover caption: A pair of rufous horneros (Furnarius rufus) during a territorial fight with an intruder. Acute aggression alters the birds' oxidative condition. Photo with the permission of Roberto Cyrino.

Publication in "Hormones and Behavior":

Mentesana, L., Adreani, N. M. (2021) Acute aggressive behavior perturbates the oxidative status of a wild bird independently of testosterone and progesterone. Hormones and Behavior, 128: 104913

 Book release:The Science of Citizen Science

On 12.1.2021 the book "The Science of Citizen Science" was published open access with Springer, to which over 100 authors contributed, including over 10 from Austria. "This book is a wonderful conclusion of four years of intensive exchange within a European research network on citizen science. At the same time it signals a beginning, as its curriculum-like structure gives universities and others the opportunity to reflect on both the substantive contributions to research and the societal added value of Citizen Science," Dr. Katrin Vohland, Director General of the Natural History Museum Vienna and first editor of the book, is pleased to say. "In addition, the book offers practical support for implementing projects and also addresses emerging topics such as Citizen Science and Artificial Intelligence."

Link to the book: The Science of Citizen Science.

Link to the book chapter by Didone Frigerio et al.: Citizen Science in the Natural Sciences.

 Talk announcement

On Monday 11 January 2021, Dr. Nico Adreani presents his work "Call-based communication in groups of zebra finches" to the University of Vienna Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology Seminar.

In many seasonally breeding species sex hormones can induce changes in auditory perception. Until now, most studies of this phenomenon have focused in species with simple vocal cues (like fish or frogs) or in the case of species with diverse repertoires, like birds, only in one vocalisation type. But many, if not most birds, produce different vocalisations besides their song: calls. Calls can be diverse and have multiple functions depending on the ecological context. In this talk Nicolas will discuss different results on the relevance of contact calls for vocal communication and their auditory perception in freely behaving birds across changing environments.

Recent research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

 New publication

In many seasonally breeding species sex hormones can induce changes in auditory perception. Until now, most studies of this phenomenon have focused in species with simple vocal cues (like fish or frogs) or in the case of species with diverse repertoires, like birds, only in one vocalisation type. But many, if not most birds, produce different vocalisations besides their song: calls. Calls can be diverse and have multiple functions depending on the ecological context. In this longitudinal study Dr. Nico M. Adreani et al. used telemetric technology to record vocal and neural activity in freely behaving zebra finches while inducing an environmental change (Picture/Fig 1). Adreani et al. show that breeding-induced changes in the auditory system of the birds are signal and emitter specific. This is, during breeding auditory processing changes only towards certain call types and only from specific emitters that are known to the receiver bird. Further, Adreani et al. provide evidence suggesting that estradiol is the hormones responsible for modulating this phenomenon. Altogether, the study provides evidence for a tight interaction between vocalisations type and auditory plasticity, a mechanism that can change the saliency of vocal signals across ecologically relevant contexts. The results significantly widen our understanding of the interaction between sensory plasticity and vocal categories, two elements that are fundamental for vocal communication evolution.

Publication in "Frontiers in Neuroscience":

Adreani, N. M., D'Amelio, P. B., Gahr, M., ter Maat, A. (2020) Life-Stage Dependent Plasticity in the Auditory System of a Songbird is Signal and Emitter-Specific. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14:588672

 Congratulations on the successful habilitation!

We congratulate Dr. Didone Frigerio on the successful completion of her habilitation at the University of Vienna. In her habilitation, Didone dealt with "Interdisciplinary contribution to the study of animal behavior: Insight from mechanisms translated to the community". This gives her the teaching authority in biology and the right to use the title "Privatdozentin".

 Congratulations!

Congratulations to Katharina Huchler, who was awarded with the 'Scientific advancement award of the City of Vienna' for her masters project on the Eurasian kestrels in Vienna!

The Eurasian kestrel is a vole-specialist, that suffers from reduced productivity in urban habitats which has been attributed to lower availability of diurnal rodents. The Kestrel Project Vienna monitors a dense urban raptor population and coordinates a large citizen science community who reported arrival dates reliably after migration at nest-sites located at different degrees of urbanization since 2010. Intense monitoring further allowed an accurate evaluation of egg-laying dates. We used this unique system to unravel, for the first time in an urban raptor, the phenology of arrival and egg-laying in dependency of local weather conditions and urbanization. Our findings shed light on sensitive time windows that shape phenology, and the importance of precipitation, rather than temperature. Furthermore, our research indicates a strategy to mitigate later arrival by relatively earlier egg-laying. This reduced length of the courtship period suggests a behavioral adaption to take advantage of potentially favorable conditions at wintering grounds while avoiding egg-laying delay and associated declines in productivity with later onset of breeding. Thus, our study focuses on how weather shapes phenology in one of the few migratory urban raptor species.

 New publication: History and current status of the Northern Bald Ibis

The Northern Bald Ibis is one of the most endangered avian species worldwide. The disappearance from most of its former range is linked to habitat destruction, persecution and pesticides. The authors report on the history, current status and future perspectives of the endangered Northern Bald Ibis.

Publication in "Oryx":

Böhm, C., Bowden, C. G. R., Seddon, P. J., Hatipoglu, T., Oubrou, W., El Bekkay, M., Quevedo, M. A., Fritz, J., Yeniyurt, C., Lopez, J. M., Orueta, J. F., Frigerio, D., Unsöld, M. (2020) The northern bald ibis Geronticus eremita: history, current status and future perspectives. Oryx, 1-13

 New publication: Quality criteria for citizen science

The term 'citizen science' is often used for different activities, such as outreach or education. However, this use of the term may undermine the recognition of citizen science in academia. Thus, the authors of the publication present 20 quality criteria for citizen science.

Publication in "Citizen Science: Theory and Practice":

Heigl, F., Kieslinger, B., Paul, K. T., Uhlik, J., Frigerio, D., Dörler, D. (2020) Co-Creating and Implementing Quality Criteria for Citizen Science. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 5(1): p.23

 New publication: Having a family improves digestion

We found that in greylag geese individuals with stable social relationships with their family members have better digestion and are more likely to breed successfully in the following breeding season. These are new insights into the benefits of social life in birds.

Publication in "Frontiers for Young Minds":

Gegendorfer, G., Frigerio, D. (2020) How having a family improves digestion in social geese. Frontiers for Young Minds, 8: 540008

 New publication on social networks in Northern Bald Ibis

We found that social interactions change with season, age and sex: (1) proximity to other colony members was higher during winter than autumn, (2) affiliative interactions were observed more frequently during winter, especially between former and prospective mates, (3) older individuals had more central positions in the social network than juveniles, and (4) males exchanged more agonistic interactions than females, while females received more affiliative interactions. Our findings suggest that social relationships may affect inter-individual distance.

Publication in "Journal of Ornithology":

Puehringer-Sturmayr, V., Stiefel, T., Kotrschal, K., Kleindorfer, S., Frigerio, D. (2020) Social interactions change with season and age in Northern Bald Ibis. J Ornithol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-020-01824-2

 New publication on Black Sparrowhawks

In this study we show that blood parasite prevalence did not vary across South Africa in Black Sparrowhawks and found neither fitness costs of higher infection levels for breeding birds, nor for nestling's body condition. Thus, Black Sparrowhawk polymorphism is unlikely to be driven by an adaptive function linked to dealing with higher infections with Haemoproteus nisi in regions with wetter breeding seasons.

Picture 1: A black sparrowhawk light morph feeding its chick in the colour-ringed study population of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology in Cape Town, South Africa

Picture 2: Black sparrowhawk chicks all grown up and ready to fledge. The dark and light adult plumage will only develop in their 2nd calendar year

Publication in "Journal of Ornithology":

McCarren, S., Sumasgutner, P., Tate, G., Koeslag, A., & Amar, A. (2020). Clinal variation in the polymorphic Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus is unrelated to infection by the blood parasite Haemoproteus nisi. Journal of Ornithology. doi:10.1007/s10336-020-01823-3

 Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum 2020

Biologicum Almtal and Junior Biologicum 2020 will be held ONLINE as a joint lecture series due to the current Covid-19 situation. The topic of this year's event is "Constructing Life. How humans and other animals design their environment". Furthermore a focus will be put on Citizen Science.

Series of lectures

The topics range from the construction of the ecological niche, the amazing constructions of animals and their ecosystem management, to the human activities that shape the world. People and other animals do not simply use what "nature" offers them. Rather, they actively shape, construct their ecological and social living conditions. The Covid-19 pandemic shows this: the virus as an evolutionary-biological factor is not simply passively accepted; rather, humans take development into their own hands and thus - like other living beings - shape their living conditions and ultimately the biosphere.

The participation is free of charge. A registration is mandatory.

Excursions

In times of "social distancing" and home office, we find being outside in nature to be particularly beneficial and relaxing. On the originally planned Biologicum Almtal weekend (October 2 to 4) we offer a series of excursions in the Almtal. Scientists* from the KLF will provide insights into their current research (ravens, grey geese, wood bustards, songbirds). In addition, there will be a legend hike, Kneipp sessions on the alpine pasture and a guided tour with the forester to his favorite places in the nature reserves in the Almtal.

The participation is free of charge. A registration is required. The number of participants is limited.

 New publication: Duets as territorial defence

Quantifying multivariate behaviours such as territorial defence is not an easy task and this is the main challenge in studying animal behaviour. In this paper we applied a structural-equation modelling approach to investigate territorial defence in a neotropical bird, the rufous hornero (Furnarius rufus). The rufous hornero forms long lasting pair-bonds, the pair defends their territory year-round and males and females engage in complex duet songs. We quantified the territorial defense behavior of males and females across different contexts and tested the hypothesis that duets are central signals of territorial defense. We found that: I) males are more territorial than females, ii) duets are as strong as physical traits during territorial defense, iii) within a pair birds are highly coordinated in territorial defense and iv) territorial defense behaviour does not change across seasons. Our study provides for the first time a sex- and context-comparison of the multivariate, latent variable 'territorial defence' in duetting birds, while highlighting the potential of combining field behavioural approaches with structural equation modelling.

Publication in "Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology":

Mentesana, L., Moiron, M., Guedes, E., Cavalli, E., Tassino, B., Adreani, N. M. (2020) Defending as a unit: sex- and context-specific territorial defence in a duetting bird. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 74:111

 Vienna Kestrel project on "Österreich forscht"

The "Vienna Kestrel Project" has been investigating the diverse adaptations of Kestrels to survival under urban conditions since 2010. The location of nesting sites plays a decisive role in this respect. Because this is a Citizen Science Project, everyone can participate in this project and collect valuable data. We are happy about sightings from nesting sites!
For more information on how to participate and where to report sightings, please visit the project homepage on "Österreich forscht".

 New publication

To receive food more regularly it pays to have contrasting parents. The black sparrowhawk comes in two colour morphs; dark or light. Pairs consisting of contrasting morphs provide prey at more regular intervals than like-morph pairs, but overall deliver similar amounts of prey. This suggests that pairs of contrasting morphs exploit different environmental conditions for hunting. This consistency in prey deliveries may explain why offspring from mixed-morph pairs have higher survival rates.

Publication in "Behavioral Ecology":

Nebel C, Sumasgutner P, McPherson SC, Tate GJ, Amar A. 2020. Contrasting parental color morphs increase regularity of prey deliveries in an African raptor. Behavioral Ecology.

 New publication on African urban raptors

In Africa, rates of human population growth and urbanisation are among the highest in the world. Additionally, climate change is predicted to have a particularly high impact on the Cape Peninsula. Our study is one of the first to consider urbanisation and weather conditions simultaneously, specifically over a long period of 26 years and including detailed information on the timing of breeding which is often missing in long-term raptor monitoring data. We show that weather did not impact breeding performance of peregrine falcons directly (breeding success and fledged brood size), but timing of breeding did, with earlier breeders producing more fledglings. Furthermore, warm and dry weather conditions advanced the timing of breeding, but this relationship between breeding phenology and weather was not apparent in pairs using nest boxes in urban areas. Our findings enforce the notion that falcons breeding in specially provided nest boxes are less sensitive to local weather dynamics, including extreme weather events, which are predicted to increase with climate change. This has important implications for urban conservation and the use of nest boxes as a management tool.

Publication in "PLoS ONE":

Sumasgutner P, Jenkins A, Amar A, Altwegg R. 2020. Nest boxes buffer the effects of climate on breeding performance in an African urban raptor. PLoS ONE, 15: e0234503.

 ORF-1-Freistunde

Daniel Dörler of Österreich forscht presented various Citizen Science projects in the ORF-1-Freistunde, including "NestCams" from the Konrad Lorenz Research Centre. The video is available in the ORF 1 TvThek.

Newton ORF-1-Freistunde video

Interview with Daniel Dörler

 Wundersame Waldrappe - Vom Leben der Natur

From 18 May till 22 May 2020 Verena Pühringer-Sturmayr spoke in an Ö1 interview with Lothar Bodingbauer about the Northern Bald Ibis and the current research at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center. The conservation was broadcasted on Ö1 as part of the series "Vom Leben der Natur".

If you missed it, you can also listen to the entire series online (approx. still one month available).

Links:

Part 1: Zugvogel mit Starthilfe

Part 2: Charakteristische Laute

Part 3: Forschung im Almtal

Part 4: Wissenschaftliche Distanz

 New publication on Crowned Eagles

The authors show that Crowned Eagles change their breeding strategy in urban areas by increasing their breeding rate, but found nest failures occurred more often at more urbanized sites. These contrasting responses counteracted each other and resulted in similar productivity across the urbanization gradient and highlighted the value of long-term data.

Publication in "The Condor":

Mueller, R., Amar, A., Sumasgutner, P., McPherson, S. C., Downs, C. (2020) Contrasting effects of urbanization on breeding performance measures in the threatened African Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus). The Condor, duaa024

Here are the links to the online article:

• Abstract
• Article (free access)

 Follow us on Twitter!

The Konrad Lorenz Research Center has now an offical Twitter account.

twitter.com/KLF_UniVienna

 Monitoring raven nests with a drone...

Our UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is a DJI Marvic, registered with austro control and permitted for field surveys, specifically to monitor raven nests. Research thus far indicates that the use of drones to monitor nests can speed up the process and reduce stress on birds. In using this tool, we can assess the stage of breeding in less than one minute of disturbance. We can search for nests on cliffs, and obtain high quality and quick information on clutch or brood size, and we can age the nestlings accurately based on their plumage development. However, we also closely monitor the reaction of the breeding pair, to quantify any signs of stress (e.g., alarm calling or flying toward the drone) and can abandon a survey at any time if necessary.

The video shows one of our raven nests in the valley, where the nestlings are just a couple of days old. It provides insights into the method. Filming and photographing is only used directly at the nest site - we do not take any footage during the approach, and chose our path carefully away from people's houses (in line with our research permit). Here we recorded the descent to introduce the field researchers involved: Shane as pilot, concentrating on the flight, using his goggles for maximal resolution; and Petra as spotter, observing the entire process with binoculars or the scope, so we do not miss any reaction of our wildlife in the surroundings.

If you are interested in the whole video footage, please visit our Facebook page.

 Happy Easter!

We wish everyone Happy Easter and happy holidays! Stay healthy!

 When field research is cancelled...

The crisis caused by the coronavirus also changes the lives of researchers. Didone Frigerio was asked how her everyday life has changed in terms of her work as a scientist, how she maintains contact with colleagues and how she handles isolation.

You can read this article here.

 Welcome Shane!

Dr Shane Sumasgutner is a conservation biologist, with a special interest in birds of prey. Shane qualified with BSc and Post Graduate Diploma in Zoology at Massey University in New Zealand in 2005. This was followed by a variety of field assistant positions on research and conservation projects; including the Mongolia Saker Falcon Artificial Nest Project, The Peregrine Fund’s East Africa Projects, Parakeet Conservation for Mauritius Wildlife Foundation and managing a team conducting a Windfarm Avifauna Impact Assessment in New Zealand. Shane then took those experiences forward to complete a PhD on The Urban Ecology of African Crowned Eagle at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.  This project was extended a further three years with a postdoc position, concurrently developing breadth and depth of technical skills such as drone piloting, rope access on cliffs and trees, a variety of trapping methods, banding, tagging and telemetry, and using these to support research by peers and students across a range of vertebrate fauna in South Africa.

Shane recently moved to Austria with recently appointed KLF postdoctoral fellow Dr. Petra Sumasgutner, and while he awaits work permits he is volunteering at the KLF to fill in gaps where needed, such as helping to monitor the goose occupancy patterns between KLF and Cumberland Gamepark. Once the permit and pandemic situations are resolved he will be back out in the mountains to extend the KLF research on wild ravens and raptors.

 How do threats like predation and climate change affect the behaviour and survival of animals?

Petra Sumasgutner aims to understand the response of birds to land-use and climate change. Within this large research field, she is mainly interested in predator-prey and host-parasite relationships, and how these complex interactions change through anthropogenic influences.

At the Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, she now coordinates the long-term research project on wild ravens, and analyses movement patters in relation to anthropogenic resources and threats, and information transfer within the scavenger community, including golden eagles. Furthermore, she will work on Darwin’s finches and how predation risk imposed by introduced and native predators shapes physiology, behaviour and long-term fitness.

Dr. Petra Sumasgutner PhD (University of Vienna, Austria)
Email: petra.sumasgutner@univie.ac.at

 The KLF welcomes a new postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Mauricio Nicolas Adreani (known as Nico) did his undergraduate degree at University of Buenos Aires in Argentina and his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology on avian biology. His research specialisations are neural and endocrine biology and vocal communication. Nico is currently studying the endocrine modulation of aggression in birds and leading a citizen science project on avian nest architecture in South America. Nico’s main role at the KLF will be to discover the emergence and coordination of collective behaviour through vocal communication in the wild and its link with reproductive success. His study species will be ravens, greylag geese and Darwin’s finches. Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen are great inspirations, and Nico says “so of course I am very happy to be at the KLF. I am a passionate birdwatcher too.“
Nico is currently in the home office due to the corona crisis.

 New paper published

Sonia Kleindorfer, Lauren Common and colleagues studied the temporal changes in body size of the myiasis-causing parasite Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) in the Galápagos Islands under conditions of previous host mortality in the nest (Darwin's finches).

Publication in Journal of Evolutionary Biology:

Common, L.K., O’Connor, J.A., Dudaniec, R.Y., Peters, K.J., Kleindorfer, S. (2020). Evidence for rapid downward fecundity selection in an ectoparasite (Philornis downsi) with earlier host mortality in Darwin’s finches. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13588

Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2020

University of Vienna and Citizen Science Network Austria will be hosting the 7th Austrian Citizen Science Conference. It will take place on the campus of the Uniersity of Vienna. The Konrad Lorenz Research Station is involved in the event organisation.

The 7th Austrian Citizen Science Conference will be organised according to the criteria of the "Österreichisches Umweltzeichen" for Green Events.

Event for Download

 New paper published

Verena Pühringer-Sturmayr and colleagues have published a paper on the effects of GPS-transmitters on the behaviour and physiology of northern bald ibises.

Publication in Animal Biotelemetry:

Puehringer-Sturmayr, V., Loretto, M.C., Hemetsberger, J. et al. Effects of bio-loggers on behaviour and corticosterone metabolites of Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita) in the field and in captivity. Anim Biotelemetry 8, 2 (2020) doi:10.1186/s40317-019-0191-5

 New paper published

Petra Sumasgutner and colleagues have explored bird malaria parasites in the pigeon population in Cape Town and discovered high prevalence and infection intensities. High infection intensities were also related to a loss in body weight, but not to plumage melanism.

Publication in 'Parasitology Research':

Nebel, C., Harl, J., Pajot, A. et al. Parasitol Res (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06558-6