Meet our grantees
Wild Animal Initiative funds academic research on high-priority questions in wild animal welfare.
The goal of our grants program is to fund research that deepens scientific knowledge of the welfare of wild animals in order to better understand how to improve the welfare of as many wild animals as possible, regardless of what causes the threats to their well-being.
We showcase our grantees and their projects here and continuously update this page as new projects are added.
Assessing the Impact of Ectoparasites on Nestling Welfare: Validating Behavioral and Physiological Indicators in Darwin’s Finches
Grantee: Sabine Tebbich
Institution: University of Vienna
Project summary
Nestling finches are particularly vulnerable to blood-sucking ectoparasites because they lack the ability to preen, dust-bathe, or escape infested nests. Invasive parasites are especially detrimental to bird welfare because naïve hosts lack behavioral adaptations such as nest sanitation or preening, and hosts often suffer from exceptionally high parasite loads. This project aims to integrate behavioral (breathing rate and sleep duration) and physiological (haematocrit, baseline corticosterone, oxidative stress and telomere length) indicators to assess the welfare impact of the bloodsucking larvae of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) on nestlings of Galápagos finches.
Grantee: Sabine Tebbich
Institution: University of Vienna, Austria
Grant amount: $42,000
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Green warbler-finches (Certhidae olivacea) and small ground finches (Geospiza fuliginosa)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior, ornithology, infectious disease
Research locations: Austria, United States, Ecuador
Project summary
Nestling finches are particularly vulnerable to blood-sucking ectoparasites because they lack the ability to preen, dust-bathe, or escape infested nests. Invasive parasites are especially detrimental to bird welfare because naïve hosts lack behavioral adaptations such as nest sanitation or preening, and hosts often suffer from exceptionally high parasite loads. This project aims to integrate behavioral (breathing rate and sleep duration) and physiological (haematocrit, baseline corticosterone, oxidative stress and telomere length) indicators to assess the welfare impact of the bloodsucking larvae of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) on nestlings of Galápagos finches.
Why we funded this project
We appreciate the diversity of welfare indicators this project will bring to bear on an important threat to the welfare of juveniles (an especially abundant and neglected life stage) in this species. By examining correlations between these putative welfare indicators, the project will contribute to understanding their validity, both individually and as a combined index, with potential transferability to other species and research questions.
To feed or not to feed wild birds
Grantee: Marion Chatelain
Institution: University of Innsbruck
Project summary
Despite providing otherwise limited resources, bird feeders may attract predators, facilitate the exchange of pathogens, and increase intraspecific conflict. This project will study two common bird species: great tits, who use feeders intensively, and black redstarts, who typically do not use feeders. By monitoring the use of nestboxes in gardens with or without feeders, the project aims to evaluate social stress and competition for nesting sites caused by bird feeding. Fecal samples from nestlings will also be analyzed to understand impacts on stress physiology, growth rate, and ectoparasite load.
Grantee: Marion Chatelain
Institution: University of Innsbruck, Austria
Grant amount: $29,943
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Great tits (Parus major), black redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ecological modeling, community ecology
Research location: Austria
Project summary
Bird feeding can provide birds with sustenance through challenging times, such as winter, and in places where they would not be able to find abundant natural foods, such as inner cities. However, bird feeding may also have negative consequences by aggregating birds in one location, attracting predators, facilitating the exchange of pathogens, and increasing intraspecific conflict.
This project will consider two common bird species: great tits, who use feeders intensively, and black redstarts, who typically do not use feeders. By monitoring the use of nestboxes separately targeting these two species, across private gardens that do or do not provide feeders, the project aims to evaluate social stress and competition for nesting sites caused by bird feeding. Fecal samples from nestlings will also be analyzed to understand impacts on stress physiology, growth rate, and ectoparasite load.
Why we funded this project
With the popularity of bird feeding and the density of private gardens in cities, understanding the pros and cons of bird feeding may be crucial for understanding and ultimately improving the welfare of urban birds. We especially appreciate that this project will consider both target and non-target bird species, and focuses on the welfare of juveniles.