Rien van Wijk
Study species: Some migrant species
Research topic: Full annual cycle
Currently I reside in Copenhagen, Denmark, after having worked as a PhD student at SOI on the migratory behaviour and its effects on breeding success in Hoopoes that breed in Switzerland.
Using geolocators we investigated their timing, routes and non-breeding sites and put this in a broader perspective by obtaining similar geolocator data from other Hoopoe populations throughout Eurasia. Simultaneously we studied their genetic relations so to be able to investigate population specific migration strategies in relation to genetics.
Next to Hoopoes, I worked on similar questions on Wrynecks and have been involved in projects on Alpine Swifts and Northern wheatears and hope to continue in this field of research in the (near) future, but more so in stopover sites en route and in the non-breeding grounds of Palaearctic-African & intra-African migrants. As part of that, I am involved in the A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute in Jos, Nigeria, as a Teaching Fellow. Currently I am looking for funding to get projects going on the diet of migrating landbirds (mainly passerines) in sub-Saharan Africa in close collaboration with local partners and nature conservation NGOs.