Dr. Cas Eikenaar

Postdoctoral fellow of
Institute of Avian Research (Vogelwarte Helgoland)
An der Vogelwarte 21
26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)4421968948
Fax: +49 (0)4421968955
E-Mail
 

Research interests

I am a behavioural ecologist studying the link between physiology and behaviour of migratory birds. By combining studies on wild migrants with controlled experiments on long-term captive migrants I aim to understand the hormonal regulation of migratory behaviour, and the physiological adaptations to and consequences of migration. The former revolves largely around the role that the hormone corticosterone plays in the regulation of stopover departure decisions. For the latter the focus currently lies on how immune function and the oxidative balance affect migratory behaviour and vice versa. As model species I use the northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), an obligatory long-distance migrant, and the common blackbird (Turdus merula), a partial migrant that travels only short distances.