Diane Colombelli-Négrel – Research Lead
Dr Diane Colombelli-Négrel is behavioural ecologist with expertise in animal behaviour, prenatal learning, conservation and bio-acoustics. Her research (from seabirds to songbirds) identifies ecological and behavioural processes that influence population dynamics and evolutionary adaptation to environmental change. Her research has a strong community aspect to enhance local culture and benefit the broader society through research-integrated education. She is the only Penguin Ecologist in South Australia. Diane’s Google Scholar Profile.
Sonia Kleindorfer – Founder
Professor Sonia Kleindorfer is a biologist with a strong interest in avian development and behaviour. She studied with a range of methodologies including acoustic playbacks to developing birds in ovo, monitoring embryonic heart rate and brain transcriptomics, and measuring prenatal vocal learning. She has worked on the Galapagos Islands for 20+ years measuring evolutionary change in a lethal and rapidly evolving host-parasite system between nestling Darwin’s finches and Philornis downsi. She applies a gender-lens to research questions and studies female and male behaviour, with a special interest in behaviour shaped by early-life experience. Sonia is now in Austria at the Konrad Lorenz Institute. Sonia’s Google Scholar Profile.
PhD Students & Research Assistants
Taylor Headland – PhD student
Taylor is a PhD student under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer, Petra Sumasgutner and Shane McPherson on the Nankeen Kestrel, a common and widespread Australian raptor. His project investigates the ecology of the Kestrel across the urban/rural gradient of South Australia, and how urbanisation impacts different aspects of the bird’s ecology. Taylor is exploring the abundance and distribution, foraging behaviours and success, health status, spatial patterns of movement and nesting success of the Kestrel across South Australia. Taylor’s Google Scholar
Leanne Butterfield – PhD student
Leanne is a PhD student under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Ryan Baring and Gareth Butler investigating beach uses and their impacts on seabirds and shorebirds along the coasts of the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.
Jules Behrens – PhD student
Jules is a is a PhD student under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel and Sonia Kleindorfer investigating the ecology of the endangered southern emu-wrens.
Emma Vanderzon – PhD student
Emma is a PhD student under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel and Ryan Baring. Her project investigates the ecology of oystercatcher species across beaches in South Australia. Her project aims to quantify oystercatcher connectivity in South Australia, and how their foraging behaviour, diet, and habitat use are impacted by disturbance from human activities.
Arisha Silverlake – PhD student
Arisha is a PhD student under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Ondi Crino and Andrew Katsis. Her project investigates personality syndromes in little penguins and their consequences for fitness and survival.
Yazmin Rizk – PhD student
Yazmin is an PhD student under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel and Benjamin Ashton. Her project investigates problem solving in Superb Fairy-wrens.
Stephen Hedges – Research Assistant
Stephen is a field assistant on the little penguin project under the supervision of Diane Colombelli-Négrel. Stephen has been monitoring little penguins as a tour guide since 2001 and is now involved in the ongoing monitoring of the little penguins on Granite Island (South Australia).
LAB Alumni
Yazmin Rizk – Honours (2024) – Neophobia and problem solving in Superb Fairywrens – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Lauren Common
Lisa Clark – Honours (2024) – Long-term effectiveness of barn owls as pest control – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Vera Weisbecker
Jessica Anderson – Honours (2024) – Impacts of visitor presence and noise on the behaviours of captive parrots – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Paul Kotz – Honours (2023) – Changes to invertebrate community structure and abundance after fire events in South Australia – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer, Lauren Common
Arisha Silverlake – Honours (2023) – Granite Island little penguins: examining the role of personality in breeding success and tolerance towards human disturbance – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Andrew Katsis
Emma Vanderzon – Honours (2023) – Investigating the impacts of human activities on oystercatcher presence and foraging behaviour along a multi-use recreational sandy beach ecosystem – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Ryan Baring
Lauren Common – Post-doctoral fellow (2023-2024) – Nest building behaviour in superb fairy-wrens – supervisors: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
Vicky Austin – Post-doctoral fellow (2023-2024) – Temperature effect on learning in superb fairy-wrens – supervisors: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
Lauren Common – PhD (2019-2023) – The Avian Vampire Fly, Philornis downsi: A Parasite’s Perspective of Co-evolutionary Dynamics – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer, Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Rachael Dudaniec
Imogen Sach – Honours (2022) – Koala behavioural and physiological response to drones – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
Larissa Iasiello – Masters (2022) – Assessing the Impacts of Artificial Light and Anthropogenic Noise on Seabirds – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Emily Costello – Honours (2020) – Anthropogenic Impacts on Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) Numbers and Behaviours – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Jules Behrens – Honours (2020) – Investigation of potential factors influencing volunteer engagement in a conservation citizen science project- supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Kevin Schirz – Masters (2020) – The effect of personality on juvenile foraging behaviour in the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Damian Tohl – Post-doctoral fellow (2019-2023) – Facial recognition in koalas and geese – supervisors: Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
Andrew Katsis – Post-doctoral fellow (2019-2022) – Personality in superb fairy-wrens – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer, Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Claire Lawrance – Honours (2019) – Survey of animal caretakers and test of facial recognition software to uniquely identify Koalas – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Lauren Common – Honours (2018) – Variation in the size of Philornis downsi across age classes and years – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Larissa Iasiello – Honours (2018) – An investigation into the breeding habitat preference of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Riley Genders – Honours (2018) – Investigating time budget differences in adult and chick little penguins (Eudyptula minor) – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Bianca Johnson – Honours (2018) – Poorer breeding success in South Australian little penguins is correlated with low rainfall and high wind speeds- supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Amy Slender – PhD (2013-2017) – The ecology of gene flow between two subspecies of Thick-billed Grasswren (Amytornis modestus) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Christine Evans – PhD (2012-2017) – Female song in the Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus): perspectives informed by function and ontogeny – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Rebecca Schaefer – Honours (2017) – Naïve little penguins exhibited a stress response to predator cat calls – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Elisabeth Reid – Honours (2017) – Surveys of the woodland birds of Fiji – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Tamara Lewis – Honours (2017) – Heterospecific nest competition in eastern Regent Parrots (Polytelis anthopeplus monarchoides) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Ashley Langton – Honours (2017) – Minimum longevity and age-related male plumage in Darwin’s finches – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Erin Cantor – Honours (2017) – Nest site attributes and nesting outcome in eastern Regent Parrots (Polytelis anthopeplus monarchoides) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Katharina Peters – PhD (2012-2016) – Unravelling the dynamics of hybridisation and its implications for ecology and conservation of Darwin’s tree finches – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Marina Louter – PhD (2012-2016) – The behavioural ecology of the vulnerable Thick-billed Grasswren (Amytornis modestus raglessi) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Tamara Burt – Honours (2016) – Identifying the impact(s) of blood parasites on little penguins (Eudyptula minor) – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Serena-Louise Mathew – Honours (2016) – Prenatal heart rate in Superb Fairy-wren eggs exposed to sound or silence – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Scarlett Graff – Honours (2015) – Conservation genetics of the little penguin: Does potential exist for translocation? – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Sarah-Lena Reinhold – Honours (2015) – An Investigation of Long-Nosed Fur Seal diet: identifying the importance of commercially fished species and predation on little penguins – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Patrick Taggart – Honours (2015) – Microbiome of Ixodes hirsti ticks collected from songbirds in South Australia – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Georgie Custance – Honours (2015) – Naris malformation and song characteristics in Darwin’s tree finches – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Rachel Smale – Honours (2014) – Do little penguin calls vary between populations? – supervisor: Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Nathaniel Dahlenburg – Honours (2014) – Eavesdropping on alarm calls between endemic New Holland Honeyeaters and introduced Blackbirds – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Chantel Vause – Honours (2014) – Prenatal heart rate in Quail shows no habituation/dishabituation response to sound – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Sarah Criddle – Honours (2014) – Female incubation calls vary in element type and syntax across six Malurus species – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Vanessa Owens – Honours (2013) – Sex differences in the behaviour of wild and captive Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Kelly Woolerton – Honours (2013) – Female nest builders: flank spot number predicts nest architecture and predation outcome in Diamond Firetails – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Madeline Thompson – Honours (2013) – Invertebrate abundance associated with the relative density of Malurus species in arid South Australia – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Angela McGuire – PhD (2009-2012) – Song divergence in the duetting Western Whipbird Psophodes nigrogularis: function, sex differences and the influence of habitat – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Valeria Zanollo – PhD (2009-2012) – Different signalling pathways for the same phenotype in male and female Diamond Firetails – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Jody O’Connor – PhD (2008-2012) – Conservation issues for Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands: invasive species and loss of genetic diversity – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Laura Fazzalari – Honours (2012) – Individuality of the ‘quack’ call in Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Stefan Swedzinski – Honours (2012) – Rodent activity influences Little Penguin nesting behaviour – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Bridget O’Connell – Honours (2012) – Within-island song similarity across an elevational cline in Darwin’s Small Ground Finch – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Toby Galligan – PhD (2008-2011) – Adaptive divergence, genetic connectivity, and post-parasitism morbidity in Darwin’s Small Ground Finch, Geospiza fuliginosa – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Steven Myers – PhD (2008-2011) – The evolutionary basis of morphological and behavioural variation in the New Holland Honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Claire Crowhurst – Honours (2011) – Female flank spots signal dominance during food contests in Diamond Firetails – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Christine Evans – Honours (2011) – Superb Fairy-wrens have adaptive behavioural response to calls of different cuckoo species – supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Diane Colombelli-Négrel
Rebecca Faulkner – Honours (2011) – Rodent activity and nest height affect nest predation patterns in New Holland Honeyeaters – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Beth Schlotfeldt – PhD (2007-2010) – Adaptive divergence in the Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) in South Australia: a mainland versus island comparison – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Nikolina Beric – Honours (2010) – Gene flow and morphological variation in Darwin’s Small Ground Finch between Galapagos Islands
Margot Oorebeek – PhD (2006-2009) – Avian ticks in South Australia: The distribution, ecology, and fitness costs of Ixodes hirsti – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Brendon Meulders – Honours (2009) – Offspring sex ratio under conditions of parasitism in New Holland Honeyeater – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Milla Milhailova – Honours (2009) – Song discrimination between mainland and island subspecies of Superb Fairy-wrens – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Diane Colombelli-Négrel – PhD (2005-2008) – The evolution of anti-predator responses and vocal communication in Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Lyndlee Easton – PhD (2005-2008) – Life history strategies of Australian species of the halophyte and arid zone genus Frankenia L. (Frankeniaceae) – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Rachael Dudaniec – PhD (2005-2008) – Impact and molecular ecology of Philornis downsi: an introduced parasitic fly of birds on the Galapagos Islands – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Rebekah Christensen – PhD (2005-2008) – Mating signal divergence in Darwin’s tree finches – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Ingrid Stirnemann – Honours (2008) – Experimental test of the role of carotenoids for immunocompetence in Diamond Firetails – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Alice Dunbar – Honours (2008) – Behavioural contexts of flank spot displays in Diamond Firetails – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Angela McGuire – Honours (2007) – Causes and consequences of nest adornment in Diamond Firetails – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Toby Galligan – Honours (2007) – The function of concealed nest architecture in Yellow-rumped Thornbills – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Jody O’Connor – Honours (2007) – Rodent activity and nesting success across an elevational gradient in Darwin’s Small Ground Finch – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Geoffrey Brown – Honours (2007) – A mainland and island comparison of morphology and foraging in the New Holland Honeyeater – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Leslie Marando – Honours (2006) – Genetic population substructure of Ixodes hirsti ticks discovered on birds – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Beth Schlotfeldt – Honours (2006) – Superb Fairy-wren morphology and behaviour between subspecies – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Sarah Davidson – Honours (2005) – Experimental test of nest predation in New Holland Honeyeaters – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Katherine Goss – Honours (2005) – Response to threat in solitary versus mixed-species aggregations of Darwin’s finches – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Rachael Dudaniec – Honours (2004) – Effects of Philornis downsi parasitism on blood loss in Darwin’s finches – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
Rebekah Christensen – Honours (2004) – Effects of beak size on song characteristics in Darwin’s Small Tree Finch – supervisor: Sonia Kleindorfer
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