I have always been fascinated by “feathered apes” — parrots and corvids — whose remarkable cognitive abilities have been extensively documented in avian cognition research. After completing my MSc in Zoo Conservation Biology, I began my professional career as a bird keeper/trainer at Newquay Zoo and Paradise Park, Cornwall. These roles led to me participating in several international conservation initiatives, including: Tambopata Macaw Project (Peru), Operation Wallacea (Mexico), Cikananga Conservation Breeding Centre (Indonesia) and the reintroduction of the Scarlet Macaw (Mexico).
For the past seven years, I have been a Lecturer and Course Manager in Animal Sciences, teaching both Further and Higher Education students. During this period, I collaborated with Dr. Miller at Anglia Ruskin University, which led to the publication of my first peer-reviewed paper on “Social attention across development in common ravens and carrion/hooded crows”.
My PhD project integrates avian cognition and conservation, using the red-billed chough as a model species. The research is conducted both with captive populations at Paradise Park and free-living individuals reintroduced in Kent through the Wildwood Trust. The initial phase of the project focuses on investigating neophobia and exploratory behaviour in this unique corvid. By understanding these cognitive traits, the research aims to inform and enhance pre-release training protocols, thereby improving post-release survival rates and contributing to the long-term success of reintroduction programs.
Publication
Miller, R., Boeckle, M., Ridgway, S., Richardson, J., Uhl, F., Bugnyar, T., & Schwab, C. (2025). Social attention across development in common ravens and carrion/hooded crows. Animal Behaviour, 220, 123038.
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