Evolution of plumage pattens of shorebird chicks: ecology, evolution and sensory biology

About the Project

Rationale. Camouflage is widespread in nature, and we are beginning to understand the evolutionary causes of complex camouflage patterns. One of the textbook examples of camouflage are downy young of shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers and allies). Once the chicks leave the nest, they are unable to fly for weeks and to evade the predators they rely on hiding and blending into the environment.

However, different species of shorebirds exhibit different plumage patterns and the functional explanations of these patterns have not been tested comprehensively. On the one hand, shorebirds breed in a variety of habitats including coastal sand dunes, rocky shores, grasslands, and forest ground, and the selection pressure from blending into the environment may favour specific plumage patterns to avoid detection by predators. On the other hand, plumage might be phylogenetically conserved and evolve slowly so the plumage of a species may simply reflect historic constraints.

Objectives. This PhD will use a combination of fieldwork, phylogenetic comparative analyses and state of the art visual ecology techniques to test causes and implications of chick plumage patterns across shorebirds. Our research group work in several sites across the globe (see http://www.szekelylab.com), and the student will carry out field investigations in some of these field sites. In addition, s/he will use advanced statistical models to test evolutionary and ecological hypotheses. The studentship offers training in an unusually broad range of subjects and approaches that include field biology, behavioural ecology, phylogenetic analyses and sensory ecology.

The PhD is based at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest (Hungary). The Department of Ethology has an internationally competitive research and training programme, please see https://ethology.elte.hu/en/

Application process. Prospective candidates should have a master degree in biology, zoology, evolutionary biology or closely related fields, have experience in field biology and strong background in quantitative biology including (but not restricted) to statistics. Confident programming in R is essential as is fluent English. Bird ringing licence is advantageous.

Scholarship that covers tuition fee will be available for 4 years. Please note funding is only available for Hungarian and EU nationals.

The project is supervised by an international team of scientists:

1. Prof Tamás Székely (Eötvös University / University of Bath, see www.szekelylab.com)
2. Dr Chris Cooney (Sheffield University, https://sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/academic-staff/chris-cooney)
3. Prof Jon Fjeldså (University of Copenhagen, https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/en/persons/jon-fjelds%C3%A5/)

Application deadline: 31 May 2026. Interested candidates should send their CV and motivation letter to T.Szekely@bath.ac.uk

Funding Notes

Scholarship that covers tuition fee will be available for 4 years. Please note funding is only available for Hungarian and EU nationals.