About our lab

Our lab is based at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, and at the Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna. The lab was created thanks to a special grant of…

Research

We study several aspects of avian biology, from migration physiology to sexual selection, both in the laboratory and in the field. A unifying feature of our research is the broad approach that includes both proximate and ultimate questions. Besides long-term…

Join us

We are accepting applications for internships, Bachelor, and Master dissertations. When available, job openings for specific projects are listed below this text, in the Blog page, and at the bottom of this page in the category ‘Jobs’. If you are…

News

Claudia Janiczek wins the prize for the best poster at the PhD academy

Another recognition for our group: Claudia Janiczek won the prize for the best poster at the PhD Academy, an event organized by the CoBeNe Doctoral School of the University of Vienna. Claudia presented her work on the comparison of courtship…

Christina Krumpholz wins the price for the best talk at the PhD academy

The PhD Academy was launched last year and is aimed primarily at PhD students from the CoBeNe Doctoral School of the University of Vienna. This year, our PhD student Christina Krumpholz gave a talk on the relative contribution of voice…

Giovanni Spezie defended his PhD

After a few adventurous years, during which he had to face droughts, pandemics and wildfires, Giovanni eventually defended his PhD on December 6th. His contributiions on the courtship of bowerbirds and in general about the role of learning in the…

Cover Image for Ethology – Jan 2023

Our paper Sneaky copulations by ‘apprentices’ bowerbirds made the cover of the journal’s issue of January 2022. Nice to see our work portraited!

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Article on reduction of migratory behaviour in Der Standard

If you can read German, have a look at the most recent interview released by Wolfgang Vogl on the disappearence of migratory behaviour in many species of migratory birds that remain in Europe in winter because of climate change. https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000141778277/immer-mehr-zugvoegel-canceln-ihren-abflug-in-den-sueden?ref=article

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Sweet sap, savory ants

Woodpeckers taste sweet, but wrynecks lost the ability to taste sugars. Photo: © Charles Thomas (Macaulay Library ML180000101)

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