Join Us: I am keen to broaden the scope of the project with novel collaborations, so do drop me an email if you’d like to discuss an idea or if you are interested in pursuing a PhD or MRes using the sparrow weavers.


The project is supported by fellowships and research grants from the following funders:

The Sparrow Weaver Project is the central focus of my research
We monitor complete life-histories and the birds are easily observed and caught, making it a highly tractable model system for evolutionary and mechanistic research on societies. We continuously monitor the lives of 40 cooperative families in the spectacular Tswalu Kalahari reserve.

Current research projects include:

  1. *The evolution and regulation of cooperative and parental care

  2. *Oxidative stress and the costs and benefits of cooperation

  3. *The function and regulation of complex dawn song

  4. *The distribution of reproductive success within society

  5. *Novel mechanisms for regulating territorial aggression

  6. *The causes of variation in rates of ageing

The Sparrow Weaver Project

In a nutshell

http://www.animalsocieties.org/SWP_The_Questions.html
http://www.animalsocieties.org/SWP_The_Study_System.html
The Questionshttp://www.animalsocieties.org/SWP_The_Questions.html
The Study Systemhttp://www.animalsocieties.org/SWP_The_Study_System.html

Society for Endocrinology