Previous student projects at the Behavioural Ecology Group

Are you currently finishing your MSc and looking for internship opportunities within Behavioural Ecology group? You can find here a list of previous internships at BHE divided by research domains.

Behavioural Ecology

Organisation Project title Supervisor
NIOO-KNAW Differences in executive functions in great tits, blue tits and marsh tits Kees van Oers
ARK Natuurontwikkeling Carcass use and the role of social recruitment in juvenile ravens on the Veluwe Lysanne Snijders
Copenhagen University (Denmark) The biological underpinnings of pied babbler combinatorial communication Marc Naguib
University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (Trinidad) Social cognitive testing of high-predation schools of Poecilia reticulata Alexander Kotrschal
Ouwehands Zoo Regrouping, Recovery, and Welfare of Captive Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) Bonne Beerda
Stichting AAP The effect of ecologically relevant sounds on the behavioural patterns of captive Japanese macaques Marc Naguib
Leiden University Chimpanzee’s attention to dominant and subordinate roles in third-party grooming and aggression Marc Naguib
Apenheul Monitoring adaption to novel situations with indicators of stress-related behavior and space use Bonne Beerda
University of Antwerp (Belgium) Local enhancement in lizards of the Greek Naxos island Alexander Kotrschal
NTNU (Norway) Population flock structures of house sparrows in the Åfjord region Alexander Kotrschal
NIOO-KNAW Personality differences in city and forest great tits Kees van Oers
Diergaarde Blijdorp Stereotypic behavior in polar bears Filipe Cunha
Uppsala University (Sweden) The hybrid system of pied and collared flycatchers Sjouke Kingma
University of Vienna (Austria) Do ravens take the opportunity? Foraging decisions in unfamiliar and unpredictable environments Alexander Kotrschal
GAIA Zoo The ideal mate: Factors determining partner choice in the Waldrapp ibis Bonne Beerda
Ouwehands Zoo Social inequity aversion in polar bears Bonne Beerda
Diergaarde Blijdorp The effect of a change in feeding regime on behavioural complexity in captive giraffes Filipe Cunha
GAIA Zoo Social networks of Ibises in a zoo setting Bonne Beerda
Black wheatear project (Spain) A comparison of catching strategies for the Black wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) in the non-breeding season Gretchen Wagner
NIOO-KNAW Exploratory behaviour in House Sparrows Kees van Oers
Nature Conservation Egypt (Egypt) Stop-over sites of White Stork in Egypt Marc Naguib
Lined Seedeater Project (Brasil) Factors influencing territory size in Lined Seedeaters (Sporophila lineola) Filipe Cunha
Diergaarde Blijdorp The behavioral impact of carcass feeding on captive Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) Filipe Cunha
Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca (Argentina) Dietary flexibility in two groups of hooded capuchins (Sapajus cay) Bonne Beerda
PWN Effects of herbivory on flora richness and insect populations Bonne Beerda
Diergaarde Blijdorp Creating the best practice guidelines of the Tufted Deer Sjouke Kingma
Ouwehands Zoo The social structure of the African elephants in Ouwehands Dierenpark Bonne Beerda
Regelink Ecologie & Landschap An analysis of the moments when tree falcons feed prey to their young Sjouke Kingma
Diergaarde Blijdorp Visual contact with conspecifics positively affects pacing in captive tigers Filipe Cunha
Kea Lab (New Zealand) Material preferences in keas (Nestor notabilis) Bonne Beerda
GAIA Zoo Visitor effect on the behaviour and enclosure use of zoo-housed black crested mangabyes (Lophocebus atterimus) Bonne Beerda
NIOO-KNAW DNA methylation in relation to exploratory behaviour and cognition Kees van Oers
Safaripark Beekse Bergen Environmental choice in zoos: welfare effects on large carnivore Alexander Kotrschal
NIOO-KNAW Investigating beak size variation in Passer sparrows Kees van Oers
NTNU (Norway) Quantifying the within flock structures of Åfjord sparrows Alexander Kotrschal
HCMR (Greece) Aggregation behaviour of invasive lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Eastern Mediterranean Alexander Kotrschal
IFAW The influence of wild animal behaviour on disaster response activities Bonne Beerda
GAIA Zoo The reproductive and nesting behaviour of the sun conure (Aratinga Solstitialis) Bonne Beerda
The Artic University of Norway Variation in incubation activity of great tits (Parus major) across latitudes Kees van Oers
Norwegian University of Science and Technology Quantifying the within flock structures of Åfjord sparrows. Alexander Kotrschal
Stichting AAP Assessing the effects of translocating wild, invasive raccoons into captivity using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), a novel approach for raccoon welfare Chris Tyson
University of Utrecht Co-feeding Tolerance in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Family and Individual Variation Marc Naguib

Companion Animals

Organisation Project title Supervisor
EquInnoLab The use of heart rate (variability) to assess how horses experience dressage training Bonne Beerda
Hulphond How to improve the habituation of an assistance dog from foster family to a kennel? Bonne Beerda
Wolf Science Center (Austria) Cooperation between humans and canines Bonne Beerda
NVWA Ethological needs of kennelled dogs; expanding and evaluating the FIDO-tool Bonne Beerda
Hondenschool Fair Play Which factors influence the learning speed of dogs during dog training? Bonne Beerda
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Austria) Social learning strategies in free-ranging dogs Bonne Beerda
Koninklijke luchtmacht Learning and training in the military working dog Bonne Beerda
Hulphond Effect of workload on stress levels in therapy-dogs Bonne Beerda

Conservation Biology

Organisation Project title Supervisor
Blijdorp Zoo Project design for a study on the effectiveness of nature conservation education in Blijdorp Royal Rotterdam Zoo Filipe Cunha
Picchio Wildlife Research Center (Japan) Olfactory strategies for Asiatic Bear Conflict Mitigation: Investigating responses to different odours Lysanne Snijders
Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit Exploring views on animal welfare: Comparing animal welfare perspectives of livestock farmers and other professionals Bonne Beerda
Natuurmonumenten Prevention of negative effects of new (mountain bike) roads on the local fauna Lysanne Snijders
Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (France) Determining the genetic status of Indian Ocean island birds for conservation purposes Sjouke Kingma
Bushy Park Sanctuary (New Zealand) Bird conservation New Zealand Marc Naguib
Hendrix Genetics Automatic tracking of individual traits in trout and salmon in land-based aquaculture systems Bonne Beerda
Landcare Research (New Zealand) Interactions between native lizards and introduces predators in New Zealand's drylands Marc Naguib
WWF Welfare implications of halal slaughter with and without stunning among cattle. Bonne Beerda