Welcome Paul Dufour - new subject editor

Submitted by Michi on 4 June 2025.

Photo above: Paul Dufour in Mongolia, searching with a VHF antenna for Richard's Pipits that were equipped with light-level geolocators the previous year

Paul Dufour JOINS JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY'S EDITORIAL BOARD AS A SUBJECT EDITOR! WELCOME!

Paul is a research associate at the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach, Switzerland. Read more about his research and interests in the interview below!

Keywords: migration, tracking, movement ecology, evolutionary biology, biogeography, vagrancy

Personal webpage   Bluesky: @pauldufour80.bsky.social‬

What's your main research focus at the moment?

My research interests focus on bird migration at the intersection of evolutionary biology and ecology. I am broadly interested in various aspects of seasonal migration, the evolution of this behavior, and how such movements can influence eco-evolutionary processes. By studying lost individuals (vagrants) from Siberia, I seek, on the one hand, to understand how new migratory routes can emerge in nature, and on the other hand, to use these abnormal movements to gain deeper insights into navigation mechanisms.

                                                         Four songbird species of Siberian origins (Richard’s pipit, yellow-browed warbler, little bunting and olive-backed pipit) for which Paul is studying the evolution of their occurrences in Europe in connection with possible changes in their migratory orientations.

Can you describe your research career? Where, what, when?

I am French. I grew up in northern France, then completed part of my studies in Montpellier, before moving to Grenoble in the Alps for my PhD. During my PhD, I had the opportunity to use several approaches (biogeography, species distribution modeling, phylogenetics, tracking) applied on different model systems (macro and micro) to study various aspects of the evolution of bird migration. It was also during my PhD that I began projects on vagrancy and changes in orientation in Siberian passerines. I then moved at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where I continued my work on macroevolution, before returning to Montpellier to study various aspects of migration strategies in songbirds using multi-sensor tracking. Early 2025, I joined the Swiss Ornithological Institute as a research associate in the migration unit.

How come that you became a scientist with an interest in birds?

I’ve always been passionate about nature (starting with dinosaurs!) and I began trying to identify every bird I saw after receiving my first Collins Bird Guide (Delachaux in France) around the age of eight. My interest in research developed quite naturally as I discovered new places and new bird species, accompanied with more questions about their distribution, colors and movements. Many of my research questions stem from field experiences and/or conversations with birders and friends, and I feel extremely fortunate to be able to combine work and passion in trying to answer these questions.

Enough about work: what do you do when you're not working?

I enjoy spending time in nature and also do quite a bit of sport (mainly running and cycling) but birds are never far away. I spend a lot of my free time birding and traveling to discover new habitats or see species I have long dreamed about. I especially enjoyed growing my green list by bike from my home in Montpellier, which led to some great adventures in the Pyrenees and the Alps.

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