Teaching
My teaching profile at the University of Vienna anchored in movement ecology, biologging technologies, and human-wildlife interactions, reflecting research focus on raptors and animals in human-modified landscapes.
My courses and teaching activities primarily cover:
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Practical skills in biologging and movement data analysis
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Understanding animal behaviour in anthropogenic landscapes
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Applying quantitative and technological approaches (including sensor data and computational methods)
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Linking fundamental behavioural ecology with conservation applications
© Shane Sumasgutner
Supervision
My supervision spans multiple continents and taxa, with a strong focus on raptors, urban ecology, and island systems, and is embedded in collaborative, cross-institutional research networks.
Lucas Landolfi
since 2025 – Urban Hunters: Energetic expenditure and Prey Diversity of Crowned Eagles in Human-Dominated Environments, Univ. Vienna AT – Short-term grant abroad (KWA)
Sarah Guttenberger
since 2024 – Space use of urban and rural Eurasian kestrels in Austria, Univ. Vienna AT – STSM (Short-Term Scientific Mission COST)
Annika Pieper
MSc 2026 – Activity patterns of Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in response to temperature along an urbanisation gradient, Univ. Vienna AT
Lara Howard
MSc 2025 – Movement ecology of urban Crowned Eagles, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: SC McPherson, S Cunningham, V Jain]
Isabella Graßmann
MSc 2025 – Boldness, sociability and survival of captive-released common ravens, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: S Damini]
Mona Stegemann
MSc 2025 – Haemosporidian parasites in short-eared owls on the Galapagos Islands: insights into host-parasite interactions in an isolated ecosystem, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: S Renner]
Sara Lehner
MSc 2025 – How aggressive personality shapes vigilance and foraging behaviour in Greylag Geese, Univ. Vienna AT
Marion Lehner
MSc 2025 – Exploration and feeding in Greylag Geese when threatened with an artificial predator, Univ. Vienna AT
Marc Nowakowski
(nee: Surlemont), MSc 2025 – Are bold graylag geese worse survivors? Univ. Vienna AT
Vivian Huacuja García
MSc 2025 – Estrategia de educación ambiental para la conservación del búho de orejas cortas en Floreana, Galápagos, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica [Co-supervisor: P Castaño]
Regine Peschel
MSc 2025 – The influence of group size and social rank on social complexity in Neolamprologus multifasciatus, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: S Fischer]
Avila Bold
MSc 2024 – The anti-predator response of corvids in different social contexts towards a heterospecific predator, Rheinland-Pfälzische Uni Kaiserslautern-Landau DE [Co-supervisors: T Stoeck, S Damini]
Johannes Ploderer
MSc 2024 – Personality and movement behaviour in Galápagos short-eared owls, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisors: S Kleindorfer, A Katsis] – Short-term grant abroad (KWA)
Martin Reichebner
MEd 2024 – Movement ecology of Nankeen kestrels in South Australia, Univ. Vienna AT – published in Journal of Raptor Research – published in Journal of Raptor Research
Marina Gehbauer
MEd 2024 – Die Wahrnehmung des Turmfalken in der Stadt: informelle Begegnungen stärken das Bewusstsein für den Artenschutz in Wien, Univ. Vienna AT
Egon Lind
MSc 2024 – Apparent survival rates of wild-born and captive-bred-released ravens in the Alps,
Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisors: T Bugnyar]
Rebekka Kreikenbohm
MSc 2023 – Golden Eagle breeding performance in the Eastern Alps, weather effects and temporal trends, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: S Kleindorfer]
Gabriela Bernatovic
MSc 2023 – How does family size affect foraging success and agonistic behaviour within a non-breeding group of free-flying ravens? Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisors: T Bugnyar]
Tom Nilles
MSc 2022 – Honest signals and circulating carotenoids in an urban top predator, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: S Renner] – published in Naturwissenschaften | The Science of Nature
Lukas Hochleitner
MSc 2021 – Differences in the integument colouration and the circulating carotenoids in Eurasian kestrel along gradient of habitat heterogeneity in Western Finland, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: S Renner] – published in Ibis
Varalika Jain
MSc 2021 – Short-and long-term variation in movement patterns of Common Ravens in relation to anthropogenic food resources, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: M-C Loretto, Th Bugnyar & SJ Cunningham] – published in Movement Ecology; received PeerJ Award (2021)
Katharina Huchler,
MSc 2020 – Effects of annual variation in weather conditions on breeding phenology of urban Eurasian Kestrels, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: Ch Schulze] – published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution; received Wissenschaftlicher Förderpreis der Wiener Umweltschutzabteilung (2020)
Rebecca Mueller
MSc 2019 – Urban ecology of Crowned Eagles, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisor: A Amar, C Downs & SC McPherson] – published in The Condor | Ornithological Applications
Miqkayla Stofberg
MSc 2019 – Global change and urban birds: impacts of heat stress and junk food on foraging behaviour and individual health in Red-winged Starlings, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: A Amar & SJ Cunningham] – published in Landscape and Urban Planning
Laura Wemer
MSc 2019 – Kestrels as city slickers? Unravelling physiological mechanisms of how avian top predators cope with urban life, Univ. Vienna AT [main supervisor] – published in Naturwissenschaften | The Science of Nature; received BOU Ornithological Research Grant (2017)
Johan Jensen
MSc 2019 – A City Diet - The fitness consequences of anthropogenic food sources on urban Red-winged Starlings, Lund University SE [Co-supervisor: C Isaksson]
Sarah Catto
MSc 2018 – How does the variation in anthropogenic food availability associated with urbanisation impact the breeding performance of Red-winged Starlings on a university campus? University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisor: SJ Cunningham] – published in Oecologia
Jessleena Suri
MSc 2016 – Streetwise: Does prey abundance buffer Black Sparrowhawks from the negative health impacts of urbanisation? University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisor: A Amar] – published in Ibis
Marius Adriøn
MSc 2016 – Parasites, body condition, immune competence and genetic diversity of Common Kestrels in Vienna, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: A Gamauf†] – published in PlosOne
Juan Millán
MSc 2015 – Multi-nest building in Black Sparrowhawks, an adequate strategy to cope with Egyptian Geese conflict in an urbanised landscape? University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisor: A Amar] – published in BMC Evolutionary Biololgy
Anna Kreiderits
MSc 2015 – The influence of alternative diet composition in an urban habitat on the breeding success of Eurasian Kestrels, Univ. Vienna AT [Co-supervisor: A Gamauf†] – published in Bird Study
Mila Truter
BSc hons 2021 – Are Red-winged starlings able to differentiate between beneficial, threatening, and neutral people and how this impacts their foraging behaviour? University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: SJ Cunningham & Th Bugnyar]
Kagiso Nhlapo
BSc hons 2021 – Stress in the city: Developing a non-invasive method to measure the pressures of urban life for red-winged starlings University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: SJ Cunningham, A McKechnie & Celiwe Ngcamphalala] – published in Hormones and Behavior
Taylyn Risi
BSc hons 2019 – The impact of urbanisation on red-winged starlings’ ability to maintain body mass, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: SJ Cunningham] – published in Ostrich
Sam McCarren
BSc hons 2018 – Blood-parasites in the polymorphic Black Sparrowhawk across South Africa, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisor: A Amar] – published in Journal of Ornithology
Miqkayla Stofberg
BSc hons 2017 – Juggling a junk-food diet: Foraging strategies of an urban bird in response to fluctuating anthropogenic-food availability, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: A Amar & SJ Cunningham] – published in Urban Ecosystems
Sanjo Rose
BSc hons 2016 – Seasonality influences reproductive performance in an urban raptor population along an urban gradient, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisors: A Amar] – published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution and Journal of Raptor Research
Campbell Fleming
BSc hons 2015 – Exploring the function of nest decoration in Black Sparrowhawks, University of Cape Town ZA [Co-supervisor: A Amar]
Julia Hess
BSc 2014 – Die Problematik der Stadttauben in Wien als handlungsorientiertes Unterrichtskonzept [DE], University College of Teacher Education in Vienna AT [Co-Supervisor: R Gazzia