Hot Birds Research Project
Abiodun Ademola
Impacts of fluctuating human presence on behaviour and physiology of urban
Supervisors: A/Prof. Susie Cunningham and Dr Celiwe Ngcamphalala
Contact
​
Abiodun Ademola
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
​
Email: abiodunademola500@gmail.com
Hailing from Nigeria, Abiodun has an undergraduate degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. She is a goal-oriented young lady, passionate about nature conservation. Abi is interested in improving species and ecosystem interactions to improve conservation management across all landscapes.
​
Abi is committed to conserving biodiversity for posterity by working to solve conservation challenges in her country and Africa at large. During her undergraduate studies, she reached out to students and neighbouring communities of the University on the need to make wise use of the natural resources for posterity. This was made possible through her position of President of the Forestry and Wildlife Student Association (FOWISA).
​
​
Abi's MSc study will investigate whether human presence affects Red-winged starlings and their chicks. Her objectives are:
(1) to verify that the relationship between high numbers of high human presence days and poor nestling growth is still present post covid-19 and assess whether this is associated with increased GCMs in nestlings exposed to high human traffic on campus
(2) to assess whether the negative relationship between fGCMs and pedestrian traffic in non-breeding adult Red-winged starlings In winter is reversed in breeding adult starlings in summer, and examine relationships with body mass maintenance and behaviour.
Martiné Van Den Berg
Supervisors: A/Prof Susie Cunningham and Dr Shannon Conradie
Contact
Martiné Van Den Berg
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
​
Email: VBRMAR025@myuct.ac.za
Surrounded by the environmental riches of South Africa and encouraged by a couple of ecologist parents, it was only natural that I would develop a love for the outdoors early on. Even from a young age I knew that I wanted to spend my lifetime studying the world around me. Thus, after matriculating, I moved from my hometown of Potchefstroom to pursue a B.Sc. at the University of Cape Town, where I was eager to receive an education with one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots on my doorstep. It was here that it quickly became apparent to me that I have a special interest in better understanding how global change is influencing the natural world which I love so much. This lead to my Honours project, where I investigated the ability of a biophysical model to predict thermoregulation in a desert bird. This project opened my mind to the possibilities of mechanistic modeling and how we can use this tool to explore how species will be affected by a changing world. Completing my Honours only confirmed to me that I have a passion for research and I was excited to continue exploring how biophysical models can be used to better understand the challenges that species face.
​
For my M.Sc. dissertation, I now turn my attention to Fynbos birds. The study aims to combine a microclimate model of habitats with different post-fire ages, with a biophysical model for predicting thermoregulation in twelve bird species in the Fynbos region. In this manner, I hope to get a more accurate picture of how birds in this biodiversity hotspot will be influenced by rising temperatures and changing fire regimes.
Leslie Bayanza
Interactions between climate change and urbanization on Red-winged Starlings
Supervisors: A/Prof. Susan Cunningham, Dr Celiwe Ngcamphalala
Contact
​
Leslie Bayanza
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
Email: bynles001@myuct.ac.za
Leslie grew up in Goma, an Eastern city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her passion for nature and environmental protection started as a teenage Girl Guide in her hometown. She participated in beach clean-ups, tree plantings, and environmental education campaigns. The Girl Guide's sixth law, which focuses on protecting nature, animals, and plants, became Leslie's daily motto and inspired her to pursue a career in conservation. She is particularly interested in climate change, conservation, and environmental education. She pursued her undergraduate studies in Global Challenges at the African Leadership University in Kigali, Rwanda, majoring in wildlife conservation.
Leslie's undergraduate journey was transformative, involving learning and practical conservation work. She became more passionate about conservation through volunteerism and internships in the conservation field throughout her academic journey. During her 2022 internship with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus in Rwanda, she gained hands-on experience in tourism and hospitality, community-based conservation, and botany, participating in research projects such as plant measurements and pollination. This experience motivated her to start a conservation education project called CHIYONA (Children and Youth for Nature) in her hometown. Leslie's project outcomes and academic background led her to conduct her final year undergraduate research on urbanization and environmental protection, focusing on plastic pollution and the environment. Now, as a master's student, Leslie is exploring the interactions of climate change and urbanization on Red-winged Starlings
Jochen Voges
Supervisors: Prof. Andrew E. McKechnie, Dr Marc T. Freeman
Contact
​
Jochen Voges
Department of Zoology and Entomology
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, 0002
South Africa
Email: jj.voges@tuks.co.za
Growing up in the Magaliesberg mountains, I’ve always loved and admired the natural world around me, especially the birds. Further inspired by documentaries by Sir David Attenborough and articles in Birdlife and National Geographic magazines, I chose to study birds and enrolled at the University of Pretoria for a BSc in Zoology. During my undergraduate studies, I became more interested in the physiology of birds and how they are affected by climate change. I therefore did my BScHons investigating hypometabolism during thermoregulation in the heat under the supervision of Dr Marc Freeman and Prof Andrew McKechnie, finding that hypometabolism during heat exposure is widespread across the avian phylogeny, reducing metabolic heat production and thereby reducing evaporative cooling requirements.
Currently I am doing my MSc in Zoology at the University of Pretoria investigating how birds' physiological responses to heat change between seasons. I will also be investigating the role of heat shock proteins in birds' thermoregulatory response. This will help us inform better predictive models for these species for future climate scenarios and will give insight into the adaptive capacity of these birds to changing conditions. Additionally, this study will increase our understanding of the molecular responses of avian thermoregulation in the heat and how these differ between different orders.
Makgoshi Mogotsi
Frazzled in the heat? Effects of temperature on cognition in Fork-tailed Drongo
Supervisors: Prof. Andrew E. McKechnie, A/Prof. Susie Cunningham, Benjamin Murphy
Contact
​
Makgoshi Mogotsi
Department of Zoology and Entomology
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, 0002
South Africa
Given the lack of natural landscapes in the township of Gauteng where I come from, natural spaces have always been my favourite playground choice and a source of fascination for me. Since I was young, I have been intrigued by how things evolve and adapt, particularly living organisms. This curiosity has driven my interest in behavioural evolution, a field I am eager to explore further. As an aspiring exobiologist/astrobiologist, my ultimate research goals involve studying the habitability of exoplanets for living organisms and understanding the evolution of extra-terrestrial life under different exoplanet environment conditions.
My academic research journey began at the University of the Witwatersrand, where I pursued a BSc in Biological Sciences and Geography, followed by a BSc Honours degree. During my final undergraduate years, I had the opportunity to explore exobiological research, focusing on evaluating the Cambrian oceans to understand the potential habitability of exoplanets for macro-organisms. This project, supervised by Jaganmoy Jodder at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, provided me with the necessary foundation in scientific skills. For my Honours project, I was introduced to birds. I studied the direct effects of behavioural and physiological acclimatisation to hotter conditions in white-browed sparrow-weaver birds under the supervision of Dr Matthew Noakes and A/Prof Susie Cunningham.
Building on these experiences, I am now pursuing an MSc in Zoology at the University of Pretoria, where I will conduct extensive fieldwork on the cognitive abilities of drongos in response to extreme heat. My research will focus on two main components: firstly, assessing whether adult drongos' cognitive abilities decline during extremely hot days using cognitive tests, and secondly, investigating the long-term effects of early-life heat exposure on cognitive abilities in juvenile drongos. This research will help us understand how increasing heat waves may impact avian foraging behaviour due to declines in cognitive performance caused by rapid global heating.
Sikhulele Sithabile Khumalo
Stress responses of sociable weavers to the presence of pygmy falcons in weaver colonies
Supervisors: A/Prof. Robert Thomson, Dr Celiwe Ngcamphalala
Contact
​
Sikhulele Sithabile Khumalo
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
Email: sthabilekhumalo99@gmail.com
Sthabile is Zulu lady from Richards bay. She started her career in 2019 when she registered for a BSc in Biological Science at Wits University. Throughout her studies, she accumulated enough knowledge to convince her to carry on in the path of environmental science. Soon after completing her undergraduate degree, she registered for a BSc Hons, where she was able to choose the theory topics that she felt were relevant to her, i.e. climate science, freshwater and wastewater science. The Honours year also taught Sthabile to conduct independent research, and the skills of data collection, data capturing and data analysis. She was also able to refine her public speaking ability through giving numerous presentations.
​
Her interest in the broader science field is deeply invested. There exists a shortage of black women representation in the science field and she wants to be a motivation to other young black girls. Sthabile wants young black girls to know that they also stand a chance in this science community. She hopes to also one day go back to her home town of Richard's Bay to start an environmental conservation organisation and to help with research based in the area.
​
For her MSc in Biological Science, Sthabile will be supervised by Dr Celiwe Ngcamphalala and A/Prof. Robert Thomson. Her theisis title is: Stress responses of sociable weavers to the presence of pygmy falcons in weaver colonies.
Niels Zwartjes
Supervisors: A/Prof. Susan Cunningham, Dr Rita Covas
Contact
​
Niels Zwartjes
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
Email: zwrnie001@myuct.ac.za
Niels Zwartjes, a native of the Netherlands, is eager to immerse himself in the South African natural environment. From an early age he has always been involved with nature. During recess in kindergarten, he always looked to the vegetation and the tiny animals living on or next to the vegetation, and he was never bored when he was outside. As a scout until the age of 18, Niels could share his enthusiasm for nature with his peers, which broadened his horizons and deepened his passion for the natural world.
​
His journey into the ecological research world began during his Bachelor’s degree in applied biology from the HAS Green Academy, University of Applied Sciences. He graduated in 2020, specializing in ecology. His undergraduate studies allowed him to engage in various research projects, from assessing the sleeping behaviour of geese in the Netherlands to study the fission and fusion dynamics of the crested guineafowl at the Lajuma Research Centre in Limpopo, South Africa. The experience in South Africa honed his skills in scientific writing and data collection and also ignited a spark for avian ecology and birding. When he was back home in the Netherlands, he bought his first good pair of binoculars and since then, Niels and his binoculars have become inseparable.
​
During the past four years Niels worked as an ecological consultant in The Netherlands, where he applied his theoretical knowledge to the real world, specializing in Dutch nature protection laws, and strengthened his appreciation for interdisciplinary collaboration.
In his spare time, Niels loves hiking, bouldering, birding, and being in nature.
​
For his Conservation Biology MSc dissertation, Niels is working on identifying the direct and indirect pathways by which high temperatures affect nestling growth and nest success in Sociable Weavers, and whether helpers-at-the-nest can buffer these effects.