Dr Steve Portugal, Animal Behaviour and Physiology

Our new paper on pigeon laboratory behavioural traits and subsequent homing is out in Phil Trans B. You can read it here!

Thrilled to get a grant to undertake more research into the Bathyergidae group (inc. naked mole rats). Head to South Africa in October, working with Chris Faulkes (QMUL), Monica Daley (RVC) and Nigel Bennett (Pretoria).

Our episodes of David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities will be shown on Sunday June 25th, 7pm, W channel. Featuring our eggshell work, and mostly, our Siamese Fighting Fish (thankfully just the animals on TV though, not me).

PhD student Lucy Taylor has had her first pigeon-related PhD paper accepted, entitled “Homing pigeons modulate wingbeat characteristics as a function of route familiarity”. The paper will be out in The Journal of Experimental Biology – more details to follow when published.

Good day with Gary and Campbell from the Hawk Conservancy, and PhD students Dan, Sam and Lucy.

Great work today at The Hawk Conservancy, working again with their trained birds. Flight data now gathered from 27 different species of birds of prey in total, involving over 40 individuals. Also got a chance to play with the camera.