Press releases

The striking white colour of the barn owl (Tyto alba) might be an adaptation that makes it harder for its prey to spot when it flies against the night sky. This seemingly paradoxical claim is the conclusion of an interdisciplinary scientific study led by the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC recently published in the journal PNAS


Juan J. Negro, Salvador Bará, David Galadí-Enríquez, Juan Luis Nieves, Miguel A. Martínez, Alejandro Ferrero, Joaquín Campos, Carmen Bao-Varela, Eduard Masanai, and Carlos Camacho. Nocturnal camouflage through background matching against moonlight. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2406808121

The ICTS Doñana is hosting the ECOFIRE research project, in collaboration with INFOCA, aimed at improving the National Park’s habitats

Researchers from the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) have analysed data from 38 years of bird censuses in Doñana and the Western Palearctic, along with satellite images and meteorological data from 432 internationally important wetlands.

Miguel de Felipe, Juan A. Amat, José Luis Arroyo, Rubén Rodríguez, Carmen Díaz-Paniagua. "Habitat changes at the local scale have major impacts on waterfowl populations across a migratory flyway". Global Change Biology. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17600

The new species was named Lipoptena andaluciensis, after the region where it was found, Andalusia. Of all especimen analized, three harboured pathogens of public health significance such as Coixella burnetti and two bacterial endosymbionts


Mikel Alexander González, Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo, Sergio Magallanes, Jozef Oboňa, María José Ruiz-López, Jordi Figuerola. Molecular and morphological analysis revealed a new Lipoptena species (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) in southern Spain harbouring Coxiella burnetii and bacterial endosymbionts. Veterinary Parasitology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110300

The study, led by Germán Orizaola, professor of Zoology at the University of Oviedo, and researcher Pablo Burraco, from the Doñana-CSIC Biological Station, has just been published in the journal ‘Biology Letters’ of the British Royal Society. International researchers have collaborated in this work to accurately analyse the long-term effects of the nuclear power plant accident on wildlife.


Pablo Burraco, Caitlin Gabor, Amanda Bryant, Vanessa Gardette, Thierry Lengagne, Jean-Marc Bonzom, Germán Orizaola 2024. Ionizing frogs radiation has negligible effects on the age, telomere length, and corticosterone levels of Chernóbil tree. Biology Letters 20, 20240287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0287

His entrance speech focused on the biodiversity of ecological interactions.

A scientific team from the Biological Station of Doñana (EBD-CSIC) has studied the seed dispersal capacity of geese and how changes in their migratory patterns could have implications for this ecological function. These birds help plants disperse their seeds over distances they would not be able to reach by any other means.

Iciar Jiménez-Martín, Adrián Monreal, Víctor Martín-Vélez, María J. Navarro-Ramos, Anthony D. Fox, Ádám Lovas-Kiss, Andy J. Green. High levels of seed dispersal by a declining wintering population of migratory geese. Freswater Biology, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14347

In an experiment conducted by the CSIC, spotless starling nestlings signaled for food with less intense postures and distinctiv sounds when a harmless infection was induced under controlled food deprivation conditions.

Parejo-Pulido, D., Redondo, T. & Pérez-Rodríguez, L. Immune challenge reduces begging effort and modifies begging call structure in spotless starling nestlings. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 78, 81 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-024-03497-w

A study led by the CSIC concludes that biological larviciding is by far the primary adopted method to control mosquitoes, respecting biodiversity and protecting nearby populations. Researchers recommend applying this type of strategy in the Lower Guadalquivir, in southwest Spain, to reduce the presence of mosquitoes and the transmission of diseases such as the West Nile virus.


Mikel A. González, Alexandra Chaskopoulou, Loukas Georgiou, Eva Frontera, Francisco Cáceres, Montse Masia, Raquel Gutiérrez-Climente, Gregory L’Ambert, Hugo Osório, Gonçalo Seixas, Francesco Defilippo, Mattia Calzolari, Fabrizio Montarsi, Andrea Mosca, Jordi Figuerola. Mosquito management strategies in European rice fields: Environmental and public health perspectives. Journal of Environmental Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122534

Researchers study how to optimise camera traps to ease detection of fauna in areas where there is little communication infrastructure. The new technology enables real-team localization and reduces manual work.

Delia Velasco-Montero, Jorge Fernández-Berni, Ricardo Carmona Galán, Ariadna Sanglas, Francisco Palomares. Reliable and efficient integration of AI into camera traps for smart wildlife monitoring based on continual learning. Ecological Informatics. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102815