FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology

FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology The FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology was established at the University of Cape Town in 1960 through the vision of Cecily Niven.

The FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology (affectionately known as the Fitztitute) is located at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where it is housed within the Department of Biological Sciences. Situated at the tip of Africa, the Fitztitute is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the vast untapped biological resources of the continent. Members of the institute are committed to

developing a greater understanding of these, through the training of scientists and the pursuit of primary research, from evolutionary ecology to conservation biology.

Why would a bird kill another's chicks? A 12-year study of Sociable Weavers documented 50 cases of infanticide, finding ...
31/08/2026

Why would a bird kill another's chicks? A 12-year study of Sociable Weavers documented 50 cases of infanticide, finding no evidence of direct reproductive benefits. Instead, competition between breeding groups may drive this rare and extreme behaviour.
https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.700

Life in a Sociable Weaver colony is highly competitive. They compete over food and space, but does a bigger bib mean hig...
21/08/2026

Life in a Sociable Weaver colony is highly competitive. They compete over food and space, but does a bigger bib mean higher status? After studying >1,800 birds over 11 years, researchers found the black bib grows with age and not dominance.
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf135

Strong friendships aren't just important for humans. A long-term study of Sociable Weavers found that birds with more st...
14/08/2026

Strong friendships aren't just important for humans. A long-term study of Sociable Weavers found that birds with more strong social bonds were more likely to survive in both summer and winter. Social connections can play a key role in survival.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70312

How can deep learning transform the study of animal behaviour in the wild? Join Dr Rita Covas for our next Fitz seminar,...
12/08/2026

How can deep learning transform the study of animal behaviour in the wild? Join Dr Rita Covas for our next Fitz seminar, exploring AI-based methods for individual recognition and automated behavioural monitoring.

📅 13 August | 13:00
📍 Niven Library

Do males and females follow the same social rules? An 11-year study of Sociable Weavers found male dominance increased w...
11/08/2026

Do males and females follow the same social rules? An 11-year study of Sociable Weavers found male dominance increased with age, while female dominance did not, suggesting males and females use different strategies or cues to navigate their social world.

Southern Ground-Hornbills are generalist predators, feeding on everything from insects and frogs to snakes, tortoises an...
31/07/2026

Southern Ground-Hornbills are generalist predators, feeding on everything from insects and frogs to snakes, tortoises and small mammals. Groups forage together across the savanna, helping feed both the nesting female and the chick during breeding.

Artificial nesting sites (nestboxes) can boost breeding opportunities for the Southern Ground-Hornbill. In South Africa,...
22/07/2026

Artificial nesting sites (nestboxes) can boost breeding opportunities for the Southern Ground-Hornbill. In South Africa, nestboxes increased the number of breeding groups, revealing their value as a conservation tool where natural nest sites are scarce.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270919000108

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