Out now! What do red kite parents do when food provisioning is covered? Our new study shows that good parenting is about more than just being on the nest. doi.org/10.1111/ibi.... Proud of this first senior authorship w/ @vsvanbergen.bsky.social @urskormann.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social

Glad to share my latest paper, published in @animalecology.bsky.social! This work was carried out under the supervision of Giulia Masoero and Pierre Bize at @vogelwarte.bsky.social. Read more about our findings 👇 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🐦🌙 Happy to see this big collaborative paper out in @currentbiology.bsky.social! We address a seemingly simple question using geolocator data collected across many species and individuals: how much of bird migration actually happens at night? www.cell.com/current-biol... A short🧵

We're currently in a heatwave but our research keeps it fresh! In a new paper, our team showed that snowfinches maintain larger fat reserve than other overwintering passerines. Read more here doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

Phenology adjustment is key for migratory bird fitness, but data are largely unavailable for non-breeding areas. Ringing data from Nigeria suggest that favorable local conditions enhance earlier departure in both migrations seasons. doi.org/10.1002/jav....

Last Sunday was World Swift Day! Throwback to the 8th International Swift Conference that took place in Castlebar (Ireland), where 185 specialists of 16 countries discussed topics such as conservation, research, volunteers, and care stations.

Together with the @bfh-ch.bsky.social, we explored the effects of temperature, forest stand characteristics, sparoxylic insect communities on White-backed Woodpeckers activity. Our results emphasize the importance of promoting large live trees. Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...

Some kids are always on the move – others prefer a good book. We show that early-life behaviour in golden eagles 🦅 cascades across life stages: more active nestlings fledge earlier, explore more, and disperse sooner. tinyurl.com/3sb8jnsz @vogelwarte.bsky.social @safilab.bsky.social #ornithology

Using a dataset from multi-sensor loggers, we & @umontpellier.bsky.social @umrlienss.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social found that ecological barrier crossing strategies differ in small migratory bird according to wing morphology and plumage color. Read more here: doi.org/10.1016/j.is...

Did you know that European Rollers (Coracias garrulus) mainly use grassland habitats, especially on the wintering sites? This is one of the findings of our study with the University of Szeged. Read more here: doi.org/10.1186/s404...

At #CMSCOP15 in 🇧🇷, #AEMLAP hosted a side event on how habitat restoration benefits people and migratory landbirds. CMS, UNCCD, BirdLife Africa, Ethiopia, and the Swiss Ornithological Institute shared success stories and called for stronger collaboration. #MigratoryBirds #Restoration

New Job in software development available at @vogelwarte.bsky.social: please apply before March 22. #python #django #typescript #javascript

This week, we're hosting an international workshop focusing on decoding animal movement. We're happy to welcome 40 participants from all continents! #EUFLYNET @biologists.bsky.social

✨ New Special Issue Out! "New frontiers in avian physiology: what’s migration got to do with it?" This special issue highlights emerging frontiers across scales, from molecules to whole organisms, in relation to the physiological mechanisms behind birds’ migratory feats ➡️ vist.ly/4u94s 🪶

Using a Bayesian integrated population model built over 40y of data and environmental covariates, our team discovered that precipitation contributed significantly to variation in population growth rate in the European pied flycatcher. doi.org/10.1002/eap.... @esajournals.bsky.social

In a new paper, we found that provisioning rate and biomass in Little Owls increased with the area of high-quality habitats, and that such habitats also acted as a buffer against adverse weather. doi.org/10.1002/ece3... @ecol-evol.bsky.social @matthiastschumi.bsky.social

Looking for a job at @vogelwarte.bsky.social as a full-stack developer? Please, have a look here: my.jobalino.ch/job/en/9ae61... #software #development for #bird #monitoring #ringing & #citizenscience

We are hiring! 🙂 We are looking for a research assistant to help analysing movement and demographic data of little owls! 🦉 @vogelwarte.bsky.social #ornithology tinyurl.com/9k6rj6rx

The effects on migratory birds of the seasonal transition between wet and dry in West Africa are not well understood. Using a long-term ringing dateset from Nigeria, we determine whetherbody reserves vary as a funtion of local rainfall and NDVI. doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

To evaluate the impact of the influenza virus (HPAIV) in the Peregrine Falcon, Integrated Population Modelling was used. The analyses revealed drastic declines in adult survival, suggesting a shift in HPAIV dynamics compared to the previous epizootics. Read more: doi.org/10.1111/1365...

For birds migrating at night, the consequences of artificial light can be fatal. @barbarahelm.bsky.social @baptischmi.bsky.social and co-authors found evidence for attraction towards light pollution of sea-crossing birds using ornithological radars along the Croatian coast. doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

Using passive acoustic monitoring, our team and our parners in Africa found that species richness and occurence probability is hihgher in grazing exclusion - a measure to restore degraded habitats - compared to control sites. Read more here doi.org/10.1002/eap....

🚨 PhD offer (please share) Fascinated by bird migration and movement ecology? 🦜🌍 Join us at @vogelwarte.bsky.social to study annual cycle energetics with multi-sensor loggers in multiple species Deadline: 20 Feb 2026 Starting: June 2026 Supervision: Martins Briedis & me Info: tinyurl.com/2dbv9nzh

Happy to share our new paper published in @cp-iscience.bsky.social We deployed 300+ multi-sensor loggers across 17 species to investigate how different species adapt their flight strategies when crossing deserts and marine areas during migration. tinyurl.com/2c8y8xvf #ornithology #birds

Swiss Breeding Bird Monitoring dataset is now openly accessible! The team from @vogelwarte.bsky.social made the long-term dataset of the Swiss CBM program (“Monitoring Häufige Brutvögel”, MHB) freely available under CC-BY 4.0 licence. esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

NEW JOB in #ornithology with @vogelwarte.bsky.social to unravel the demographic drivers of population change in Alpine #swifts in #Switzerland: buff.ly/crV1rT8

House Martins are declining in Switzerland. To help them, our team conducted a study and recommend installing artificial nests withing 500m of occupied sites and using playback of conspecific vocalizations. doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

On 1 January 2026, Stephanie Michler and Hubert Schürmann will take over the conservation department at the Swiss Ornithological Institute and represent it as part of the institute's directorate. They succeed Peter Knaus, who leaves the Institute after 25 years. www.vogelwarte.ch/en/protection/

Winter means.. communal roosts! 🦅🐦🦜 But why do birds form such roosts? In red kites, young single males are the most frequent visitors. Once paired, birds roost more solitarily, often together as a pair. 📢 Now online: tinyurl.tools/98e9279e @animalecology.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social

Can high biodiversity and agricultural productivity be reconciled? A community model of the bird–arthropod food web in African cocoa agroforestry indicates that low-intensity farming practices favour certain bird species and enhance the abundance of potential pollinators. doi.org/10.1002/eap....

New study on factors influencing collisions of Red Kite Milvus milvus with wind turbines: findings suggest that turbines with rotor diameters <90m and clearances > 60m may pose a lower relative threat to Red Kites. Read more here: doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

A study by the WSL and @vogelwarte.bsky.social using long-term data has shown that bark beetles are good for woodpeckers🪲🐦: woodpeckers use the dead wood produced by bark beetle infestations as shelter and nesting sites🪵. WSL-News: www.wsl.ch/en/news/why-... #Biodiversity #Woodpecker #DeadWood

Our team analysed the correlation of N deposition with numbers of territories of 112 Swiss breeding birds species. Insectivous and herbivorous species were more negatively associated with N deposistion, as well as ground-nesting species. Read more here: doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Very happy to finally have this out! 🎉 A review of the diets of European insectivorous birds. Huge thanks to Klaus Birkhofer, @johanekroos.bsky.social, @henrikgsmith.bsky.social and all co-authors! 🙏 #ornithology @biologylu.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social @helsinki.fi doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

NEW PAPER: LiDAR-based habitat mapping shows that nightingales prefer dense mid-level vegetation and tall canopies. The study showcases how remote sensing can inform habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation. ➡️ vist.ly/4bjs6 #ornithology #birds @vogelwarte.bsky.social 🪶

🚨New paper out Our study reveals how barn owl parents coordinate nightly chick feeding. Females step up when males underperform & pairs that meet more often at the nest share work more equally boosting chick survival🦉 doi.org/10.1016/j.is... @unil.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social #movementecology

Exciting science news on plumage colouration and genetic variation from our colleagues!

1/9 New in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8005 How does genetic architecture constrain evolutionary trajectories? To address this question, we inferred the genetic architecture of convergent plumage coloration and its evolutionary history in wheatears.

🚨 Master’s project! Curious how birds find their way? 🧭🐦 Analyze decades of ringing data to study abnormal migratory routes and uncover what these deviations can reveal about the mechanisms guiding birds on their journeys. Drop me an email for details! #ornithology www.vogelwarte.ch/de/wir/mitar...

More Skylark science: a study with @agroscope.bsky.social tested whether Skylark strips in intensive winter cereal fields improved habitat quality for the species. Short answer: yes! The odds for nest being successful were 12.5 times that of control fields. doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

In Europe, the Skylark Alauda arvensis has shown some sever declines. Populations are more stable in the Swiss Alps. To better inform conservation management, our team studied the limiting factors for these populations. Read more here: doi.org/10.1111/ibi....

NEW PAPER: Parental anti-predator investment in red kites shifts with food conditions, reflecting both offspring vulnerability and reproductive value, with their relative importance changing across nestling age. ➡️ vist.ly/45uxb #ornithology #birds #RaptorResearch @vogelwarte.bsky.social

#EOU2025 Come and join us for the symposium on the importance of vagrancy in ecology and evolution. Lots of great results in the talks from the different speakers! LR4 - Friday 22 - 10:30 @alexanderlees.bsky.social @joewynnbirds.bsky.social #ornithology @vogelwarte.bsky.social

Excellent talk from @carladreon.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social in the life history & development #ornithology plenary @eounion.bsky.social evidencing lay date plasticity in alpine swifts with warming temperatures - a heritable adaptation that boosts individual reproductive success. #EOU2025

#EOU2025 #ALAN #migration #policy symposium - LR3 - Tuesday 19 - 11:30h Then, Simon Hirschhofer will show how light pollution is impacting migratory bird flights at the Adriatic coast. @vogelwarte.bsky.social @barbarahelm.bsky.social #ornithology #aeroecology #movementecology #lightpollution

#EOU2025 Come and join us for the symposium on #bird #migration and #ALAN, aiming to discuss fundamental research and policy. LR3 - Tuesday 19 - 10:30h @baptischmi.bsky.social @carburt.bsky.social @jlyr.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social #ornithology #aeroecology #movementecology #lightpollution

#EOU2025 is starting in #Bangor (Wales, UK). Come to see my poster on nocturnal bird migration at the Mediteranean coast in France. #migraLion #aeroecology #ornithology @vogelwarte.bsky.social

Have you ever wondered why parents react stronger to danger with small than with older children? Because they are more vulnerable! This seems to be less the case when children are well fed - at least in red kites 😉 Check out our new paper in #ornithology @vogelwarte.bsky.social tinyurl.com/322wpbp6

"Conspecific vocalisations as a Wryneck conservation tool: if you play it, will they settle?" The Applied Ecologist has published a blog featuring our new publication @aer-ese-bes.bsky.social Enjoy reading! tinyurl.com/d3cvh9p8

🔈New Blog Post - Conspecific vocalisations as a Wryneck conservation tool: if you play it, will they settle? appliedecologistsblog.com/2025/08/08/c... Check out our research summary blogs for more details behind the research ⭐