The toutouwai and kākā research is led by Dr Rachael Shaw, a Senior Lecturer at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Here’s a few words from her:

“My research interests have ranged from evaluating potential evolutionary pathways for brood parasitic behavior in birds to testing the cognitive abilities of Eurasian jays (and even a few elephants…). My current research investigates the role that cognition plays in the lives of wild birds. Ultimately, my aim is to understand the processes by which cognition evolves and how we might harness cognition for conservation.”

Collaborators

This research would not be possible without the ongoing support of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne and its Chief Executive Dr. Danielle Shanahan. We are also fortunate to have several collaborators in our current and previous research, including Dr Andrew Lensen (VUW), Prof. Stephen Marsland (VUW), Assoc. Prof. Cilla Wehi (University of Otago), Assoc. Prof. Hanne Løvlie (Linkøping University), Dr Corina Logan (MPI Leipzig), Prof. KC Burns (VUW), Prof. Nicky Clayton (University of Cambridge), Dr Neeltje Boogert (University of Exeter) and Prof. Alex Thornton (University of Exeter).

Field Assistants

Since 2014 Annette Harvey has provided invaluable training and support for the toutouwai banding and breeding season monitoring. We are also indebted to the amazing team of kākā volunteers at Zealandia, led by Linton Miller, who have been providing us with banding, monitoring and training for several years.