The kestrel is the most common raptor in the city of Vienna. Since 2010, the "Vienna Kestrel Project" has been investigating how these falcons have adapted to city life. A key component of our research is knowledge about nest locations which allow us to access broods for further investigation. The Vienna Kestrel Project was initiated by Dr. Petra Sumasgutner and Priv.-Doz. Dr. Anita Gamauf as a cooperation between the University of Vienna and the Natural History Museum (Bird Collection) Vienna. The project was financially supported by the City of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (Hochschuljubiläumsstiftung), and has benefited incredibly from the continuous support by the media and the general public in Vienna. After the first calls to report nesting sites, more than 1000 reports were received by telephone in the first year alone. The active participation of the population in reporting occupied nests has been maintained over all these years and greatly facilitates our research with this charismatic falcon species. We post videos and photos keep the population involved and share the results of our research on our popular Facebook page.

Who can participate?

Anyone who can identify kestrels and can distinguish them clearly from other bird species (e.g. swifts, sparrowhawks).

The Kestrel Project is managed at the Konrad Lorenz Research Centre as part of the University of Vienna and is organized in the scope of PhD, MSc and BSc projects. The direct data collection with the handling of wild birds at their nesting site including the individual ringing, morphometric measurement and blood sampling is conducted by scientific staff and students in the project, as this requires special training and permitting.

The citizen science component refers to observations of the breeding cycle, since often a direct view into the breeding niche is granted from apartments or other buildings on the opposite side of the road. Thus, the time of egg laying, as well as the hatching and fledging of the young falcons can be documented exactly without causing any disturbance. In Vienna, over 500 kestrels breeding sites are known.

Personal data is only stored directly in the e-mail, WhatsApp and Facebook correspondence and is exclusively available to the project leader Dr. Petra Sumasgutner for further inquiries. They are limited to the extent to which they were disclosed by the respective reporting person during the data transfer.

The (anonymized) data management is regulated by MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) with the respective cooperation partners: Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM); Vienna Environmental Protection Department (MA22); Austrian Ornithological Centre (AOC); BirdLife Austria; Bird:at.

Period

The project has been running since 2010 and is planned to continue until at least 2024. Messages can be sent to us at any time.

Where can you participate?

In the entire city of Vienna.

Which data will be collected?

If you discover nesting sites, we would be happy to hear about these locations!

As of 2020 we have received about 660 reports of kestrel nests; only approx. 60% of which are occupied per year. We were able to add new nest locations every year and count on our citizen scientists to keep the momentum going - we would be happy to receive any information about known breeding sites from you! The guidelines for the management of the nest site database are listed directly at MA22, the Wiener Umweltgut, at https://www.wien.gv.at/info/datenschutz/index.html.

We kindly ask you to provide us with the address of the nesting site with an exact description of the location  - you might have insights of a yet unknown kestrel nest! We would also appreciate to receive data on the breeding cycle, preferably with photos showing egg laying, hatching and fledging of the young falcons.

How can you participate?

Please send messages to:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+43 664 5666045 (phone and Whatsapp)

 Vienna Kestrel on Facebook

Reporting and collecting dead songbirds

You find a dead songbird in your garden? Your cat brings home a dead bird? If you are in this situation, you can support a current research project of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

Avian malaria

Within the framework of the Citizen-Science project "Avian malaria", dead songbirds and woodpeckers from Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland are collected by the Institute of Pathology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. The birds are examined scientifically to gain further knowledge about the pathological effects of haemosporidian infections in songbirds. Haemosporidians are unicellular blood parasites that are transmitted by mosquitoes and other bloodsucking insects. The researchers are particularly interested in the conditions under which the blood parasites proliferate strongly in the tissues of the birds and thus cause serious and sometimes fatal avian malaria diseases. The collection campaign is carried out in cooperation with StadtWildTiere, Wilde Nachbarn and Birdlife Austria.

Reporting and collecting dead birds

You can report the finding of a dead bird using a report form on the homepage of StadtWildTiere. Besides, you can send a photo of the bird found via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This makes it easier to check and confirm your report. Nearly all songbird species (except for blackbirds and crows) and woodpeckers are of interest. Information on the safe handling and storage of dead birds can be found on the project homepage.

How do the birds get to the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna?

Shortly after your report, the project team will contact you (by phone or e-mail) to clarify whether the reported bird is needed and to arrange the pick-up of the dead birds in case of acceptance. To keep the effort for you as low as possible, the pick-up and transportation will be carried out by a transport service (Medlog). The transportation costs will be covered entirely by the Vetmeduni Vienna.

Scientific studies

The dead birds are subjected to pathological examination at the Institute of Pathology of the Vetmeduni Vienna and tested for the presence of haemosporidian parasites. In positive cases, the pathogen species are identified and tissue changes caused by the parasites are analyzed. In any case, the project team will inform you about the results of your finding, and the collected data will be published on the project homepage at the end of the study. All research-related data is stored in the internal patient database of the Vetmeduni Vienna.

The reporting and collecting campaign ran from June to October 2020.

Picture gallery

(Please click on the respective photo to enlarge it)

• Collect birds professionally (T Himmel) Collect birds professionally (T Himmel)
• Procedure of the Avian Malaria Project (VetMedUni PR) Procedure of the Avian Malaria Project (VetMedUni PR)
• Bird section (T Himmel) Bird section (T Himmel)
• Plasmodium Meronten (T Himmel) Plasmodium Meronten (T Himmel)
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The golden jackal (Canis aureus) was not considered native in Austria, until the first golden jackal discovery was made in 1987, followed by sporadic records scattered over several federal states and in 2007 the first reproduction record was documented in the National Park "Neusiedler See-Seewinkel". Since then, rumours about camera trap pictures, fallow deer and one or two sightings have led to the assumption that these secretly living animals are present in some areas of Austria. In the context of the ongoing research project "The Golden Jackal in Austria", further evidence has been collected since October 2015. By means of acoustic stimulation in suitable habitats we carry out active monitoring and search for droppings and traces.

If you think you have seen a golden jackal or find a dog-like animal on your wild camera, please report your suspicion to us at: www.goldschakal.at, via the reporting form or by e-mail to the coordination and reporting office This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The golden jackal project initiated the International World Jackal Day in 2023 and has since offered a webinar on interesting topics regarding the world of jackals every year on April 19th. Further Information can be found here: www.worldjackalday.com.

Information about the golden jackal

The golden jackal is a very elusive animal and lives very hidden, at a first and only fleeting glance, the distinction to fox or wolf is sometimes not so easy - but on closer inspection there are a few clear characteristics.

With a shoulder height of up to 50 cm, a body weight of 10-13 kg and a body length of about 100 cm the golden jackal belongs to the medium sized predatory game. This makes it larger and also longer-legged than the fox, but considerably smaller than the wolf. Recognisable features of the golden jackal are, among other things, the fused bales of the two middle toes and the rod which is rather short in relation to the body (with 20-30 cm). Its fur is yellowish-grey (to reddish), dark in the area of the back and the tip of the tail, and golden on the sides and legs. His brown face mask is marked by a white pattern around the muzzle and on the neck.

Golden jackals killed on roads can also be entered in the Roadkill project. Further information can be found on the project's YouTube channel. 

Dr. Jennifer Hatlauf was a DOC-scholar of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The Golden jackal project was supported by a bilateral "WTZ"- grant.

Newest publications

Stefanović M, Bogdanowicz W, Adavoudi R, Martínez-Sosa F, Doan K, Flores-Manzanero A, Srinivas Y, Banea OC, Ćirović D, D'Amico G, Djan M, Giannatos G, Hatlauf J, Hayrapetyan V, Heltai M, Homel K, Hulva P, Ionică AM, Jhala YV, Juránková J, Kaboli M, Khosravi R, Kopaliani N, Kowalczyk R, Krofel M, Lanszki J, Lapini L, Lymberakis P, Männil P, Markov G, Mihalca AD, Miliou A, Modrý D, Molchan V, Ostrowski S, Pakeltytė G, Ruņģis DE, Šnjegota D, Szabó L, Tryfonopoulos GA, Tsingarska E, Volokh AM, Wójcik JM, Pilot M (2024) Range-wide phylogeography of the golden jackals (Canis aureus) reveals multiple sources of recent spatial expansion and admixture with dogs at the expansion front. Biological Conservation, 290, 110448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110448

Böcker F, Weber H, Arnold J, Collet S, Hatlauf J (2023) Interspecific social interaction between golden jackal (Canis aureus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Mamm Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-024-00737-2

Suss L, Hatlauf L (2024) Focus on carnivore communities: photo traps and data analysis in biodiversity research. Acta Zoobot (accepted).

Image gallery

Click on image to enlarge.

• fox fox
• golden jackal golden jackal
• golden jackal brochure golden jackal brochure
• golden jackal golden jackal
• size comparison fox - golden jackal - wolf size comparison fox - golden jackal - wolf
• wolves wolves
• tracks of a golden jackal tracks of a golden jackal
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Citizen Science with a long tradition

The first water bird counts in Austria took place as early as the 1950s. In the following years, the number of counts was gradually increased, and from 1970 onwards Austria-wide surveys have been carried out. This makes the waterbird census one of the longest running citizen science projects of BirdLife Austria. The censuses are carried out by volunteers between one and five times per winter (depending on the province) at defined river sections.

Decline in numbers

The aim of the waterbird census is to document the populations of waterbirds migrating through or overwintering in Austria, e.g. swans, ducks, geese or seagulls. In recent years, the majority of waterbird species have shown declining populations. Climate change is probably responsible for this – it leads to ever warmer winters and means that increasingly few waterfowl from northern and eastern Europe have to come as far south as Austria to find ice-free bodies of water for food.

Tasks and roles in the project

• Observer: In their free time they survey the birds according to the specified counting method. They regularly receive a summary of the results and the latest trend analyses.
• Federal state coordinators: They organise the censuses in the respective federal state. They are the first point of contact for the counters for questions and problems of any kind.
• Project management: data checking, data management, evaluations, reporting, lectures, contact person for questions of all kinds.

Participate

Further informationand results can be found on the website.

If you have any questions about the project or are interested in the collected data/results, please contact the project manager.

• Bird watching with binoculars Bird watching with binoculars
• Professional bird watching Professional bird watching
• Observation is more fun as a team! Observation is more fun as a team!
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Important groundwork for bird protection

The association BirdLife Austria has been researching and protecting the native avifauna for over 50 years. Citizen science has always been an essential basis of this work, as BirdLife's expertise is based on decades of collecting bird records. In the past, observations were recorded on paper slips, today www.ornitho.at is a modern and simple way to report bird observations.

Many functionalities

With the platform ornitho.at you can not only report observations of bird species, but also add photos or sound recordings of birds. Interested users can search the archive for photos, see current records of interesting bird species, get information about seasonal occurrence, manage all their own reports and much more. In addition, the observers can also be sure that their observations serve a good cause – namely the protection of the native bird world.

If you would like to record observations on the go, you can use the specially developed NaturaList app, which offers many smart functions:

• NaturaList for Android
• NaturaList for iOS

Podcast episode

For the Österreich forscht podcast's first birthday, Christine Kovar, a dedicated Citizen Scientist in the project, gave interesting insights into the project in March 2023 - tune in! (in German)

Join in

Further information can be found here: www.ornitho.at.

• Bird watching with binoculars Bird watching with binoculars
• Professional bird watching Professional bird watching
• Observation is more fun as a team! Observation is more fun as a team!
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Annual counts

This advanced citizen science project requires knowledge of the common native breeding bird species and participation over several years. Twice a year, the participants count all birds seen and heard at fixed points. The total of all counts is then used to calculate population trends. The available data is currently sufficient to determine meaningful trends for about 90 bird species – from 1998 onwards. Sadly, the results show how important it is to monitor our breeding bird world: more than half of the species studied are declining in numbers, whereas only about one fifth of all species show an increase. The other bird species are currently stable.

Participate

Further information and results can be found on the website.

Tasks and roles in the project:

• Observers: In their free time they survey the birds according to the specified counting method. They regularly receive a summary of the results and the latest trend analyses.
• Federal state coordinators: They organise the censuses in the respective federal state. They are the first point of contact for the counters for questions and problems of any kind.
• Project management: data checking, data management, evaluations, reporting, lectures, point of contact for questions of all kinds.

If you have any questions about the project or are interested in the collected data/results, please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• Bird watching with binoculars Bird watching with binoculars
• Professional bird watching Professional bird watching
• Observation is more fun as a team! Observation is more fun as a team!
•  

Are swallows nesting at your house or in your stable? Have you seen a badger in the middle of town? Or do you regularly observe a kestrel in your garden? We are interested in your observations in rural settlement areas!

Ural owl resettlement

The resettlement of the Ural owl is led by a team of researchers headed by ornithologist Richard Zink at the Austrian Ornithological Centre at "Vetmeduni" Vienna. The goal is the "Come Back" of the big owl into the forests of Austria. A new occurrence in the alps creates an essential link between the populations south (Slovenia, Italy) and north (Germany, Czech Republic) of the Alpine republic. Individual owls migrating between these populations ensure gene flow within the European metapopulation - the survival of the rare large owl can thus be ensured in the long term.

The designation of protected areas and the gradual conversion to sustainable forest management improved the living conditions for the Ural owls in Austria. Based on this, the project was requested by an international delegation of experts in autumn 2006. The Austrian release sites were selected for the protected areas "Wienerwald Biosphere Reserve" and the "Wilderness Dürrenstein", which offer the newcomers optimal survival conditions due to their ecologically particularly valuable forest stands. The project is based on the successful reintroduction that has taken place in the Bavarian Forest National Park (D) in the last century.

15 years after the first release of Ural owls in 2009, successes can already be recorded in the reintroduction project. The current population of Ural owls in the reintroduction area is estimated at about 50 territories. Since 2011, the reintroduced Ural Owls have also been breeding successfully in the open. The breeding success is subject to annual fluctuations, which are based on mouse gradations. Since then, at least 278 young Ural owls have been hatched in the wild and 516 released (as at end of 2023). You can report observations of Ural owls directly to the project team on our website.

Based on these successes, the focus of the project is now on increasing the genetic diversity of the Ural Owl population. This should ensure the long-term existence of the reintroduced population. Together with 25 breeding partners throughout Central Europe and around 50 breeding pairs, the project team is working towards this goal.

In order to give some assistance to the Ural owl, which does not build its own nests, approximately 550 nesting boxes have so far been installed in suitable forests in Eastern Austria with the help of a large number of landowners. You are a landowner with forest ground, you are enthusiastic about the Ural owl and would like to enable the installation of a nesting box? Or do you have time and want to support the project in spring by regularly checking one of our nesting boxes?

Get in contact with the project team - we look forward to meeting you!

The project “GeoMaus” collects information about the distribution of small mammals in Austria, Germany and in Switzerland. Nature enthusiasts are invited to report their observations to learn more about the occurrence of small mammals. Two identification keys (text key and decision tree), information on trace images and on the appearance, biology and way of life of the species will help. The report is made using a form through which the required data such as species, location, date and photo (optional) can be transmitted. An adapted mobile version simplifies the input in the terrain and features a location search function. The received data can be retrieved on a map after a processing time of about one week.

What are small mammals?

The term "small mammals" does not describe a taxonomic group in the strict sense. They are usually the relatively small representatives of mammals from the orders of rodents (Rodentia), shrews (Soricomorpha) and hedgehogs (Erinaceomorpha). What they have in common is that they do not exceed a certain body weight. Depending on the author, the upper limit varies between 120 g and 2 kg and is usually 1 kg.

Why do we need to collect data?

Information on the regional distribution of small mammals is unfortunately rare. Every discovery and every observation is therefore important and contributes to a better understanding of the animals and their habitat. Moreover, small mammals can only be involved in species protection projects when their distribution is known. However, targeted detection is usually very time-consuming. Discovery reports therefore serve as good hints to pay more attention to certain small mammals.

Where can small mammals be found most likely?

• caught by house cats
• on paths and roads
• in fields, especially after mowing
• in the garden, for example near bird houses
• in huts and barns

What information is required?

1. place of discovery
2. date
3. type of detection
4. habitat
5. photographic documentation (optional)

How are the discovery reports evaluated?

Reports with photos are very valuable. For example, garden dormice, edible dormouse, forest dormice, hazel dormice, striped field mouse or moles can be identified safely and reasonably when they are photographed. Species that can only be clearly identified using biometric measurements and observations without evidence are only used to a limited extent in purely scientific publications. But here too, reports of findings are important, as they provide valuable information on the distribution of the species, facilitating research and protection.

What happens to the collected data?

The data is used for scientific publications (e.g., Atlas of Mammals of Upper Austria) and projects (e.g., laendlemaus.at).

Participatory exploration of the "Kremser scorpion” (Euscorpius tergestinus) with school students

"Triestino scorpion" (Euscorpius tergestinus - still listed as E. carpathicus in the Red List of NÖ), which are threatened with extinction in Lower Austria, exists as an archaeozoon in Krems. This population is an isolated north-eastern outpost of the distribution area. Since 2019, sightings of these animals have been collected together with students of the BRG Krems Ringstraße 33, a UNESCO school, with the participation of the population. The students' questions to the population not only lead to reports of findings, but also to many stories that are linked to the encounters with the animals. The participatory approach not only collects data on the distribution of the animals, but also sketches a picture of people's attitudes towards them.

The first results have already been published: The good news: it still exists, the "Kremser Scorpion"! A population exists in a small area in the city. The research results have been published online in the journal "Biodiversity and Conservation Biology in Eastern Austria (BCBEA)". As throughout the project, the project team shared the work and all team members contributed to the article. This article is an example of how citizen science with lay people and closely participatory with motivated students can create local knowledge around a conservation object. In the course of the project, further questions have emerged that will continue to occupy a new generation of pupils in possible follow-up projects.

In this respect, we are still grateful for ongoing sightings, reports and stories!

Citizen Science Seminar

In 2022, poject coordinator Martin Scheuch held a lecture about the Kremser scorpion as part of the lecture series "Citizen Science Seminar" at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU): "The Scorpion of Krems - Success with School & Citizen Science" (in German). At the end of this page you can watch the video recording of the lecture.  

Project partners