Claire Spottiswoode and Jess Lund from the African Cuckoos team are collaborating on a new project tracking the movements of bronze-winged coursers. Together with Bart Kempenaers, Eunbi Kwon, and Mihai Valcu (Max Planck Institute for Ornithology), as well as fire ecologist Sally Archibald (University of Witwatersrand), the team is investigating little-known aspects of the coursers’ natural history. These birds tend to nest in recently-burnt areas, with incredibly camouflaged eggs and chicks which look like burnt tufts of grass! However, their secretive nature means that the way they move between burnt areas remains a mystery. Studying these birds may also help to understand historic fire regimes across sub-Saharan Africa.
Jess Lund awarded an R. C. Lewontin Grant from the Society for the Study of Evolution
The Society for the Study of Evolution has awarded Jess Lund an R. C. Lewontin Graduate Research Excellence Grant, which will enable her to expand her investigations into the fascinating lives of honeyguides. This grant is awarded to students early in their PhD programmes to assist them in enhancing the scope of their research. Thank you to the SSE for their generous support of our work!