Sumasgutner Lab

We explore how raptors navigate and adapt to a rapidly changing, human-dominated world. By combining biologging technologies with ecological theory, we aim to understand movement, behaviour, and human-raptor interactions across urban and natural landscapes - and to translate this knowledge into meaningful conservation action.

© Kervin Prayag

© Johannes Ploderer

Research

From urban rooftops to remote landscapes, our projects investigate how raptors interact with their environments and with people. Through a combination of long-term research, experimental approaches, and applied initiatives, we aim to produce science that informs conservation and supports human-wildlife coexistence.

When kestrels turn pale: What colour tells us about bird health in human-dominated landscapes

Raisin junkies in red wings: What the UCT starlings are teaching us

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Latest Publications

Spatio-temporal patterns of juvenile common ravens integrating into a free-flying non-breeder flock

Bapat, A., Jain, V., Blum, C. R., Boucherie, P. H., Sumasgutner, P., & Bugnyar, T. (2026). Spatio-temporal patterns of juvenile common ravens integrating into a free-flying non-breeder flock. iScience. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2025.114412