Project properties
Title Costs and benefits of family-living in black wheatears – Autumn fieldwork in Spain
Group Behavioural Ecology
Project type thesis
Credits 24-39
Supervisor(s) Gretchen Wagner
Examiner(s) Marc Naguib
Contact info gretchen.wagner@wur.nl
Begin date 2020/10/01
End date 2026/12/31
Description Black wheatears are a passerine bird that live in the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. While most of the offspring disperse from the parental territory when they reach independence, some juveniles from each family delay dispersal to form small family groups over the winter. The consequences of these strategies for both the parents and the offspring remain unclear. In this project you will monitor the behaviour of wheatears and/or conduct experiments after the breeding season to investigate the costs and benefits of living in a family group.

Projects will entail approximately 1 month of fieldwork in autumn-early winter in the field site near Guadix, Spain.
Used skills fieldwork, experimental design, behavioural observation, bird catching, statistics
Requirements The fieldwork best suits those that can work well both independently and in a team. Patience and flexibility are essential! Must have a valid driving license.