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!

Zalewska, K., Ramos, R. F., Catry, I., Gilroy, J. J., Silva, J. P., & Franco, A. M. (2026). Enduring the heat: the microclimate characteristics that determine site suitability for an endangered grassland bird during post-breeding. Biological Conservation, 313, 111557.

Revilla-Martín, N., Silva, J.P., Mougeot, F., Morales, M.B., Marques, A.T., Mañosa, S., Giralt, D., Bretagnolle, V., Bota, G., Arroyo, B. & Bravo, C. (2026). Behaviour identification and time budget estimation of the threatened little bustard (Tetrax Tetrax) using accelerometry. Animal Behaviour, 231: 123415.

Valerio, F., Pereira, P., Salgueiro, P., Godinho, C., Lourenço, R., Silva, J.P., Gameiro, J., Santana, J., Leitão, P.J., Moreira, F., Lousa, H., Catry, I., Reino, L., Safara, J., Pedroso, R., Venâncio, L., Martins, R.C., Morgado, R., Marques, A.T., Burfin, T., Guise, I., Oliveira, A., Neiva, S., Faria, J., Crispim-Mendes, T., Corado, L., Basile, M. & Godinho, S. (2026). Using GEDI‑derived vegetation structural metrics to evaluate avian biodiversity patterns in Mediterranean habitats. In:  Gonzálvez, P.R., Guerra-Hernández, J. & Eduardo Manuel González Ferreiro, E.M.G. (Editors). Earth Observation, Satellite Remote Sensing for Forest and Environmental Monitoring. Chapter 20. Pages 631-661.

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:

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

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