Project
Alpine ecosystems are particularly exposed to climate change and cold-adapted species are highly sensitive to these ongoing shifts. The white-winged snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) is a high elevation specialist that faced a loss of former habitat and population declines throughout the Alps in recent decades. During the winter season, snowfinches form groups that show weather-dependent fission-fusion dynamics. Insights into the relationship between their social structure and ambient conditions are important to better understand how the species’ population dynamics are affected by environmental change.
I joined the group as an external MSc student from the Swiss Ornithological Institute. In my thesis, I aim to investigate the characteristics of snowfinch wintering groups and how these change with environmental conditions. For this, I spent a winter season collecting data on two populations of colour-ringed snowfinches in the Swiss Alps. Having grown up in the mountains, I have always been fascinated by high elevation specialists and consider it very urgent to study these species comprehensively.
CV
2024 – present: MSc Student in Biodiversity, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich
2021 – 2024: BSc in Biology and Environmental Science (Minor), University of Zurich