Case Studies: red kite

Population genetics of an endangered bird of prey: the Red Kite (The Student Perspective)

After graduating from Aberystwyth University with a BSc degree in Equine Science it was a challenging project which confronted me when I commenced my studies last October. Also, coming from a very different background – a) being Latvian b) having my first education in Economics and c) the only animal I was at all familiar with being the horse – dealing with Red Kites and molecular genetics involved a lot of learning before commencing the research. However, by reading a tremendous amount of literature and ‘extracting the knowledge’ of my daily academic supervisors Dr Rob McMahon and Dr Matt Hegarty, as well as meeting up with Professor Mike Hayward and Tony from the Welsh Kite Trust, step by step I soon realised my mission.

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Population genetics of an endangered bird of prey: the Red Kite (Presentation)

Student: Ilze Skujina Company: Ecology Matters Academic Supervisor: Dr Matthew Hegarty & Dr Robert McMahon Red Kites (Milvus milvus) are medium sized birds of prey (raptors) which alongside buzzards, ospreys, eagles and hawks have been traditionally considered members of the Accipitridae family. Raptors are highly specialised avian species adapted for a predatory lifestyle, and thus… Read more »