BIRDS
We study songbird communities in agricultural and forest ecosystems, and in urban environments. We study the ecology of various bird species, such as the golden eagle, the glossy ibis, the great cested grebe, while we have studied the ecology of cinereous vulture in the past. Research is conducted mainly through master and doctoral theses. Previous projects: VULTURES, AGRALE
- PhD: Conservation Ecology of Golden Eagle in Northern Greece. Lavrentis Sidiropoulos.
Ph.D. student: Lavrentis Sidiropoulos. The study aims at increasing ecological knowledge and informing the conservation of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), a priority species of the Birds Directive, for which our knowledge in Greece is minimal, within a Ph.D. thesis framework. The study investigates: (a) the seasonal variation of Golden Eagle diet in Greece, (b) the causes of its mortality that threaten its survival, (c) the species’ flight/ranging behavior, and (d) its breeding habitat selection over multiple spatial scales. The study area encompasses the regions of Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in N. Greece (~35000 km2). Lavrentis is conducting extensive fieldwork, tags birds with GPS/GSM, monitors their trajectories, explores their diet and analyzes available datasets. Funding: natural research LTD, The A.G. Leventis Foundation. Hellenic Ornithological Society. Biodiversity Society of Thrace.