Photos by: Francesco Valerio; Roberto Sánchez; Gonçalo Ferraz; João Gameiro

Steppe Birds MOVE

Our group is within CIBIO/ BIOPOLIS/ University of Porto. We carry out ecological studies of endangered steppe birds in Iberia, which is a hotspot for steppe bird diversity but vulnerable to environmental and climate change. Most of our research combines GPS tracking data from tagged birds with high-resolution environmental and climatic data from remote sensing, to provide an in-depth understanding into a wide range of ecological processes. Overall, we aim to give insight into the functioning of these unique and important ecosystems.

Our specific aims are to:

  • Understand the ecological implications of animal movement patterns and behaviours
  • Examine the influence of environmental factors such as climate, topography, and habitat structure on animal movement at high spatial and temporal scales
  • Investigate the impacts of human activities such as effects of infrastructures, habitat destruction, fragmentation, and climate change on animal movement
  • Develop models and tools to predict animal occurrence in response to changes in the environment and climate

Check out our latest publications!

González del Portillo, D., Arroyo, B., García de la Morena, E.L., Bota, G., Silva, J.P., Marques, A.T., Gameiro, J., Soares, F. & Morales, M. B. (2025). Migration strategies, connectivity and corridor features of the partial migrant little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) across the Iberian Peninsula. Movement Ecology, 13(1), 1-14.

Assandri, G., Bazzi, G., Bermejo-Bermejo, A., Bounas, A., Calvario, E., Catoni, C., Catry, I., Catry, T., Champagnon, J., de Pascalis, F., de la Puente, J., del Moral, J.C., Duriez, O., Evangelidis, A., Gameiro, J., García-Silveira, D., Garcés-Toledano, F., Jiguet, F., Kordopatis, P., Lopez-Ricuarte, L., Martínez, J., Mascara, R., Mellone, U., Molina, B., Moriney, J., Pilard, P., Ramellini, S., Rodríguez-Moreno, B., Romero, M., Sarà, M., Saulnier, N., Tsiopelas, N., Urios, V., Morganti, M., Rubolini, D., Cecere, J.G. 2024. Assessing exposure to wind turbines of a migratory raptor through its annual life cycle across continents. Biological Conservation 293, 110592.

Ferrer Obiol, J., Bounas, A., Brambilla, M., Lombardo, G., Secomandi, S., Paris, J.R., Iannucci, A., Whiting, J.R., Formenti, G., Bonisoli-Alquati, A., Ficetola, G.F., Galimberti, A., Balacco, J., Batbayar, N., Bragin, A.E., Carpioli, M., Catry, I., Cecere, J.G., Davaasuren, B., de Pascalis, F., Efrat, R., Yavuz, K.E., Gameiro, J., Gradev, G., Haase, B., Katzner, T.E., Mountcastle, J., Mikulic, K., Morganti, M., Pârâu, L.G., Rodríguez, A., Sarà, M., Toli, E.A., Tsiopelas, N., Ciofi, C., Gianfranceschi, L., Jarvis, E.D., Olivieri, A., Sotiropoulos, K., Wink, M., Truchhi, E., Torroni, A., Rubolini, D. 2025. Evolutionary distinct lineages of a migratory bird of prey show divergent responses to climate change. Nature Communications 16, 3503.

Latest outreach initiatives

Público: Abandono do cultivo de cereais em Portugal põe em risco águia-caçadeira (6 September 2024)
Wilder: Saiba por que já há tão poucas águias-caçadeiras em Portugal (5 September 2024)
Público: Portugal enfrenta uma “crise de biodiversidade” nas aves de meios agrícolas, alertam cientistasPúblico:

Twitter

Steppe Birds MOVE Follow 96 281

📌 Movement Ecology of Steppe-land Birds in Southwestern Europe 📌 Based at @CIBIO_InBIO #MovementEcology #LittleBustard #Sandgrouse #StoneCurlew

steppebirdsMOVE
Load More