I have a wide interest in animal behaviour and ecology. I am simply curious about why and how animals do what they do in their environment. This brought me to learn and understand different systems and topics. For example, I ran some experiments in the field to understand parent-offspring recognition in Scopoli’s shearwaters, finding that there is unconditional adoption of foster chicks and probably not specific recognition mechanism. Most likely this is applied to all colonial burrowing species that raise a single chick.
Becciu P, Campioni L, Massa B and Dell’Omo G (2021) Unconditional adoption rules out the need for parent-offspring recognition in a single-brooded colonial seabird. Ethology 127: 605-612. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13167
Furthermore, I published a chapter on the Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) in a very thorough book about migration strategies in birds of prey.
Becciu P (2021) Chapter 14. Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. In book: Migration Strategies of Birds of Prey in Western Palearctic. Eds, Panuccio M, Mellone U, Agostini N. CRC Press.
DOI (book): https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351023627
DOI (chapter): https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351023627-14
My first ever experience as scientist from start to (almost) finish as a bachelor student in 2011 investigated how the different duties of sexes in biparental care affected their body weight fluctuation along the breeding season. My poster contribution, reworked a little, was published in the conference proceedings of a Mediterranean seabird conference!
Becciu P, Massa B and Dell’Omo G (2012) Body mass variation in Scopoli’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea breeding at Linosa Island. In Yésou P, Baccetti N & Sultana J (Eds.), Ecology and Conservation of Mediterranean Seabirds and other bird species under the Barcelona Convention – Proceedings of the 13th Medmaravis Pan-Mediterranean Symposium: 16-18.
PAOLO BECCIU 