Dr Steve Portugal, The University of Oxford

I chatted very briefly about bird strikes on Bizarre ER. You can watch the programme here!

Our new paper on White-headed Vulture vision is out! You can read it here!

Animal Behaviour module is in full swing – today, practical work with the Siamese Fighting Fish!

Our new paper about pigeon social networks and perch choice is out, you can read it here!

We have a new funded PhD studentship, funded through ERC grant success by Emily Shepard at Swansea University. Emily is the Primary Supervisor, and myself and Luca Borger are co-supervisors. The project is all about how weather affects the costs of flight in birds. More details can be found here in the findaphd advert. Any informal enquiries should be directed to Emily. Deadline is February 10th. 

We’ve been busy getting our museum collection professionally photographed for new educational and outreach purposes.

Co-supervisors Emily Shepard and Dora Biro spent Friday at Royal Holloway discussing experiments and plans for Dan Sankey’s PhD. Lots of good discussions and mince pies.

Congratulations Rebecca McGoran on graduating from your Masters with a Distinction, for your work with the Siamese Fighting Fish. 

Our paper on white-headed vulture vision has been accepted in Ibis. This paper shows how these vultures show visual field characteristics of hunting raptors, which fits evidence from the field that this vulture species does not just feed on carrion, but rather captures live prey.

Thrilled to be invited to join the Biology Letters Editorial Board, and look forward to starting in the New Year.