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A new research initiative by EUFLYNET members: Diets on the Flyway

New Research Initiatives at EUFLYNET

We are excited to announce that EUFLYNET members are embarking on several new research projects this year. To keep everyone informed and engaged, we are launching a special subpage on our website dedicated to these initiatives. This platform will act as a central hub for all current and future projects, providing detailed information and regular updates on our progress. Stay tuned for more updates and visit our website regularly to see how our research is contributing to the conservation of migratory birds.



Diets on the Flyway

The "Diets on the Flyway" project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and led by EUFLYNET members at the Swiss Ornithological Institute, is launching this winter. This initiative aims to understand the utilization of food resources by migratory birds in their non-breeding grounds. Insights from this project will help identify potential vulnerabilities in migratory bird populations, such as their dependence on scarce or highly seasonal food resources, which may be impacted by climate and habitat changes.

Every year, over two billion landbirds migrate from their breeding grounds in Europe to non-breeding grounds in Africa, involving some of Europe's most rapidly declining bird species. While much is known about these birds during their breeding season, their non-breeding ecology remains largely unexplored. "Diets on the Flyway" seeks to fill this knowledge gap by investigating fundamental aspects such as habitat preference, moulting sites, seasonal movements, and diet outside Europe and in Africa.

The project will bring together a network of EUFLYNET researchers and African collaborators to conduct fieldwork across migratory birds’ non-breeding grounds. Local teams will collect faecal samples for diet metabarcoding analysis, which reveals the birds’ diet by extracting prey DNA from the samples. In addition, local experts will survey the availability of insect and plant food at each site.

With the data collected, "Diets on the Flyway" will address critical questions about the resources migratory birds select before migration, potential dietary overlaps with resident species, and where the nutritional bottlenecks for migratory birds might be located.








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COST

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.

Action CA22117

A European flyway research network for the effective conservation of migrant landbirds.

Action Details

Action Chair: Dr Ivan Maggini

MoU - 027/23

CSO Approval date - 12/05/2023

Start date - 12/10/2023

End date - 11/10/2027

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